If there’s something I love watching, it’s French thrillers. And their recent Netflix movies have all been pretty good. So, I’m really hoping that this The Wages of Fear 2024 remake or Le Salaire de la Peur 2024 remake is going to be good. After all, the last movie based on the iconic Georges Arnaud’s 1950 novel was a true masterpiece. Sorcerer is a movie directed by William Friedkin and I highly recommend you check it out while we’re waiting for this new version. On that note, I did check out the first adaptation from 1953 starring Yves Montand and Charles Vanel. However, I didn’t like it. It felt a bit too old and loose, especially when compared to Friedkin’s version.
– – – – Update: Read the full review of the movie The Wages of Fear 2024 here.
It does have a unique charm and offers a quite gritty setting as it was shot just three years after the release of the novel. So, you might be wondering what’s this movie about right about now. We will be following a couple of interesting characters who find themselves stranded in a rundown South American town. As you can probably guess, most of them have a criminal background. And they’re always on the lookout for the next big thing. So, when a big oil corporation announces that they’re looking for drivers to transport dangerous cargo through the mountains, you know what’s going to happen.
Netflix’s The Wages of Fear 2024 remake is a French movie directed by talented Julien Leclercq, You might remember him as the guy behind such great movies as The Assault and The Crew. This means we can expect a tight, gritty, and intense movie. Positive vibes don’t stop there as the cast is just as good. We have Franck Gastambide (Restless) and Alban Lenoir (AKA) in the lead roles. These are some pretty good casting decisions, I have to admit. Ana Girardot and Sofiane Zermani also seem to be solid choices although I haven’t watched them in anything.
To keep the good news rolling, the filming is already over and the movie is currently in post-production. Although the poster says Le Salaire de la Peur 2024, we’re not sure yet that this is going to be the final title. I mean, all the subsequent remakes, including Howard W. Koch’s 1958 Violent Road, did not use the original title. That’s not that important but I had to mention it. We have no more information about the movie at this point. Judging by that promo picture, I think that the story takes place in the past and not in modern times. However, I’m not really sure about that.
It would make sense to set the story in the fifties or seventies as now you can easily transport that type of material by helicopter. I also have to say that the poster suggests a more Mad Max: Fury Road vibe, something I didn’t get from all the other adaptations. Especially from Friedkin’s one that was more of a jungle affair. Then again, this is all promo material, and who knows what the final cut is going to be like. There are no trailers or anything available right now. As always, I will add them as soon as they appear on the Internet.
Finally, I have to say that I have a great feeling about this one. The cast is awesome along with the director, who did have a couple of slipups recently but I have faith in him. I think The Wages of Fear 2024 remake is going to be one of those sleeper hits of 2024. A gritty and uncomfortably intense high-octane suspense extravaganza.
Update: Trailer released with more info about the story.
A couple of months before the official release we finally know more about this movie. First of all, Le Salaire de la Peur AKA The Wages of Fear 2024 will be released on March 29th, 2024 on Netflix. Secondly, the story remained pretty much the same as in the original. There’s a gas leak that can only be put out using nitroglycerin. The drivers have 24 hours to drive the highly volatile explosive to the destination or else the whole field will explode. The story is apparently taking place somewhere in Africa, probably some former French colony.
This is a significant change from the lush jungles we saw in Sorcerer. We still don’t know who’s trying to kill them or why. Another unknown is the pacing of the movie and where the story will actually start. Will we get that juicy, immersive, and gritty intro we got in the last two iterations of this novel? Or will they go straight for the jugular and simply start driving after a brief introduction? Whatever the case is, I think this is going to be a movie worth watching. You can check out the trailer below.
