THE WAGES OF FEAR / LE SALAIRE DE LA PEUR (2024) - Movie Review

Director: Julien Leclercq
Starring: Franck Gastambide, Alban Lenoir, Sofiane Zermani, Ana Girardot
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Writer: Hamid Hlioua, Julien Leclercq
Runtime: 104 min
Rated: TV-MA
Buy This Movie: Netflix

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Synopsis:

When an explosion at an oil well threatens hundreds of lives, a crack team is called upon to make a deadly desert crossing with nitroglycerine in tow.

Review:

The 1953 French classic "The Wages of Fear" is still a fascinating watch. Winner of the Golden Bear and the Palme d'Or, Henri-Georges Clouzot's adaptation of Georges Arnaud's 1950 novel of the same name is a masterclass in suspense, and its thought-provoking themes prompted critics to call it an "existential thriller". It spawned an American remake (poorly) titled "Sorcerer" which was directed by William Friedkin, that became a classic in its own right. Unfortunately, the 2024 updated version is a shining example of a remake that doesn't get what made the original film so special.

Directed by Julien Leclercq, who previously helmed another Netflix dud called "Sentinelle", the remake replaces the South American jungles with an unnamed North African desert, but the basic premise is pretty much the same. Except it's geared more towards action than suspense, with shootouts and explosions galore, and a generic thumping electronic score by Eric Serra.

The fascinating characters of the original are replaced by walking, talking cliches embodied by actors who deliver adequate but unremarkable performance. And as the film approaches its conclusion, the plot just gets dumber and dumber, mangling the themes of the original. Everything about the script is mundane and predictable.

As far as production values go, it looks pretty mediocre. There's also an exhausting overreliance on using CGI that doesn't look convincing. It's what I like to call "Netflix Quality" (TM). Honestly, a movie like this isn't worth seeing in theaters. In the days before streaming, it would have been a direct-to-video flick.

Not much else to say about this remake. Cinema purists should avoid it like the plague. Anyone who enjoys mindless action movies is welcome to give it a shot. But I do strongly recommend everyone to check out both the 1953 and 1977 movies.

SCORE: 5/10