Le Salaire de la peur

The original Wages of Fear really didn't deserve this. Julien Leclercq has literally emasculated the story and left the complex and nuanced characters as empty shells. Relationships, complex pasts and ambiguity are virtually non-existent. Still, it could have been a fine thriller about two trucks filled with nitroglycerin, but Leclercq is completely inept at action, edits poorly, shoots the action dully, and intersperses it with really ugly CGI at times. As an action B-movie, it's boring and annoying. As a new adaptation trying to follow up two famous films, it's downright embarrassing. (2024.04.02)