MovieChat Forums > Le salaire de la peur (1955) Discussion > To those who complained about the ending...

To those who complained about the ending ... (SPOILERS)

posted 11 years ago by ElMaruecan82
15 replies | jump to latest

You know the unrealistic way Mario was so happy and started to drive in total carelessness ... to his death. You know, recently, I drove during three hours in a very dangerous road, at night, and one of my car lights stopped working, the road was under construction and I could barely see in front of me, anyway, it was probably the longest and most stressful drive I've ever had (since then I never drive at night) ... I was so relieved when I came to the city that I bumped a car while I was parking.

The last turn of events, displayed in Clouzot's masterpiece, might not be 'realistic' plot-wise, but it's very true to life when you think about it. Hell, even La Fontaine said something about the irony of karma :

We often have the most to fear
From those we most despise;
Again, great risks a man may clear,
Who by the smallest dies.

"Darth Vader is scary and I The Godfather"

[–] boonjj 11 years ago

explaining how it could happen doesnt make it a good ending. it's terrible in context with the film

[–] mordloldad 11 years ago

I agree with onebelo. Merrily weaving around the road to classic music while bystanders cheer just didn't fit with the rest of the film. Plus, the final twist ending came out of nowhere. While I understand the French nihilistic intention they could've ended to movie five minutes earlier when Jo died right before they reached their destination. They would've gotten their ironic and depressing ending without having to pull for it.

[–] genekim 11 years ago

Just saw THE WAGES OF FEAR at the AFI in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Yes, I could see the ending coming, and yes, it made me groan a bit. But I thought it was a perfectly understandable, in-character conclusion.

Mario stared death in the face - and lived. He was the only one of the four to survive. So he was in a euphoric mood.

Recall that the American oil workers (who came across as a decent lot) offered to have one of their own drive Mario back, but he declined, insisting on driving himself. He was positively giddy.

I remember many years ago, one of the American hostages in Lebanon finally being released. He was taken to a U.S. air base in West Germany, where he spoke to reporters from the balcony of a two-story building, as shown live on CNN. He was euphoric in his own way, and rambled quite a bit, talking about running for public office, that sort of thing. And when he finished and left the balcony, the CNN camera tilted down to a reporter standing on the ground, and the reporter, with the utmost tact, said, "We've been listening to a rather - uh - involved statement from the former hostage..."

Yes. I could understand why the freed captive acted that way. And I could understand why Mario behaved the way he did at the end of the movie.

[–] alpensepp08 11 years ago

the ending is not ironic, its dramatic and tragic.

[–] flan99 11 years ago

Mario had just cheated death.

He thought he was invincible.

[–] dennisrafkin 11 years ago

A buddy of mine and I were once driving on the highway. We took an exit ramp that looped around an embankment of trees, when all of a sudden a semi-truck was coming, the WRONG WAY up the ramp towards us, at high speeds. Luckily, each driver involved saw the other at the perfect time, because everyone was able to stop relatively safely, but those few moments after first seeing the truck coming up the ramp? I thought I was going to die. Legitimately. I thought it was the end. Auto-accident. Maybe that truck driver does some time. But that didn't matter, because I would be dead.

Once the situation had been sorted out and we all went on our respective ways, do you know what my buddy and I did? WE DROVE AS F-CKING SAFE AS WE COULD THE ENTIRE REST OF THE WAY HOME. Because we realized how close we came to death and realized "Let's not ever be in that situation ever again. Agreed?"

The end of this flick absolutely wrecks it. Absolutely. I was fine with it, thought it was alright, but this ending is a joke. There's nothing ironic or tragic about it. It was stupid.

If you read a newspaper article about a guy who cheated death, and then purposefully drove recklessly and wound up dying, would you call it a tragedy? Hell no! Everyone in the world would say, "What was that moron thinking? He deserved it, acting so f-cking stupid!"

Good movie + TERRIBLE ending = terrible movie. Ugh.

[–] coolbrett 11 years ago

Maybe the point of the ending was to show how euphoria makes you not think straight and do stupid things against sound conduct. Like a person walking onto a busy street cos they're in a real hurry or something and that's all they're thinking about. And then, boom, hit by a car.

But it didn't seem that way to me while I was watching the movie. It seemed like they just wrote the ending in haste or something. They should have thought of something else. I expected him to be blown up right at the end while the truck was stationary.

[–] nedeljkodjukic88 9 years ago

they could've ended to movie five minutes earlier when Jo died right before they reached their destination.

I thought that's where the end would be. But on the actual ending - I don't think it's impossible for the character of Mario to behave like that after being released of such intense and long pressure he was under. I know people usually prefer happy endings, but these bitter endings are more powerful and impressive to me.

[–] Edward_de_Vere 10 years ago

I agree.

It's quite common for people who survive dangerous ordeals (combat, plane crashes) to start thinking that they're invincible (i.e. "If I can survive that, nothing will kill me").

Jo said Mario was reckless when they were arguing. It seems to me that Mario was sensible and careful while delivering the nitroglycerin (it was only in the cowardly Jo's eyes that he seemed reckless). However, surviving that ordeal made Mario reckless, making his final demise almost comical.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] zachanscom 10 years ago

no art is completely true to life. there's always a metaphor. it is ironic(contrary to what someone else just said), because he had just survived a major health risk, yet in the end, dies from such trivialities as whimsy, foolishness and bad luck.

the giddiness isn't the point. how realistically such a situation would unfold isn't the point. the point is, he can defy certain death and overcome insurmountable obstacles, but he still cannot escapes the existential stick draw. it comes for him in the most ironic manner while he believed himself invincible due to the recent events.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] hafaball-1 10 years ago

I can buy he's happy he lived, so he felt invincible. Especially since he has 4 grand and is getting out of that dead little town he's been stuck in (purgatory really). What I would have bought more is if he wasn't so broken up about Jo's death. Luigi blows up and he barely cared. He was reckless at the turn, because he wanted, needed the money more than anything. He even went so far as to crushing Jo's leg, just so he wouldn't get stuck in the oil pit. This is not a man who, I think, would throw all that away at the final stretch. Who went figuratively to hell and back. He's pretty much Dante, but he's all for himself.

But, being euphoric and invincible doesn't make you blind. There was clearly a turn there. I would have liked it more if he had fallen off the turn where the wooden structure was, forgetting about it falling apart at the last moment. He lost his conscience when Jo died? Sure. He just maybe wanted to kill himself after what he had done? Fine. But it was just too silly for me.

Amazing movie though otherwise...

They call him the matador;He settles all the scores;He kills in plain sight;With a blade and a smile

[–] Ore-Sama 8 years ago

But, being euphoric and invincible doesn't make you blind.

The guy spent the entire scene swerving from side to side like a drunkard. Not at all unbeleivable he would, at that moment, drive himself off the road. Not to mention it was foreshadowed several times he would be his own demise, and for this exact reason.

'I don't make deals with someone pointing a gun at me.'
'A principle?'
'A Habit.'

[–] fnj2002 9 years ago

The ending was a MASTERPIECE. It's obvious from all the carrying on here in this thread that the ending nailed it.