William Friedkin’s remake of the French thriller Wages of Fear represents an above-average effort by the director of The Exorcist—meaning it’s marginally watchable. Friedkin senselessly complicates the simple story—four men drive a truckload of nitro through a South American jungle—with a lengthy exposition and some unfortunate existential overtones. The rhythms are all off—it’s either too fast or too slow—but most of the set pieces are effective.
