In 1953, director Henri-Georges Clouzot took the story of four mercenaries facing impossible conditions to tell an interesting story. Paying for fear. Moreover, it managed to avoid the clichés of the genre and become a restrained classic. The story of a group of men attempting to transport a dangerous shipment of nitroglycerin across South America was entertaining and suspenseful. Much more, managing to explore revenge and greed.in the middle of a script in which the main goal was to prevent the characters from being torn to pieces.
This year redo in history became one of the most watched films on Netflix. Much more is in the content that generated the most interest over the Easter weekend. Paying for fear“, this time by Julien Leclerc, tells the same story as the 1953 film. However, this time the setting is different. Namely: from the South American jungle, the film takes place in an unnamed desert area. The latter turns into a threat scenario in which a group of people must transport a shipment of nitroglycerin. All while avoiding being killed by a Western explosion or being caught in a siege in the middle of a challenging mission.
Things get a little worse when the characters also start being pursued by various indirect enemies. And as time goes on, the load becomes more and more difficult to bear. Leclerc uses the same idea that made the original film famous and which takes center stage in the new version. Possible decision of a group of mercenaries between his life and those that must protect against the possible explosion of the flammable substance they carry.
Bad copy of a good movie
But the new version Paying for fear Not only is it flat, but it also lacks the emotion and tension that made Henri-Georges Clouzot’s film famous. This time Leclerc tries to combine an original concept with brutal and over-the-top action. Including making a strenuous journey for a group of mercenaries transporting barrels of a potentially lethal substance, an excuse for exaggerated shootouts and explosions.
Without the depth and tight narrative of the film it comes from, Netflix’s new hit is limited to telling a cliché plot. Brothers Fred (Frank Gastambide) and Alex (Alban Lenoir) find themselves in a difficult situation when they receive an offer to join an expedition. The latter will lead them through a country where they will find themselves – the name of which is not mentioned even once in the entire film – in the center of an emergency situation. An oil well explosion threatens a refugee camp. Which leads to the only solution detonation must be safe and controlled to avoid a more serious disaster.
So the heroes will have to become part of an apparently suicidal mission. It’s traversing a difficult geographic area full of terrorist hostility with two trucks loaded with nitroglycerin. Unlike the movie it comes from, this time there is a time limit of twenty hours, which makes everything more complex and urgent. Especially when they have to fight attackers, other mercenaries in search of cargo and even wild animals to fulfill the agreed upon.
“The Wages of Fear”, a boring story
But unlike the original, the Netflix film doesn’t have much more incentive. The screenplay by Hamid Khlioua and Julien Leclerc reveals little about the characters, the conflicts, or the simple risk of crossing a country road in a car laden with explosives. Instead, the French film is more interesting sporadic balances and hand-to-hand confrontations without any interest for the plot.
Ultimately, The Wages of Fear has nothing to offer in the middle of a plot that seems only interested in showing scenes of supposed tension. None that have any significance to the plot or anything that would lead to any point of interest in the story. Your biggest problem.
Source: Hiper Textual
