Mario (Yves Montand), Jo (Charles Vanel), Bimba (Peter Van Eyck), and Luigi (Folco Lulli) are hired to drive trucks of nitroglycerin over 300 miles of bad road and jungle and deliver them to an American oil field. The men start as hard, desperate drifters but as the conditions deteriorate and death becomes almost certain, their inner truths are revealed.
This is not a fun, uplifting movie. It is bleak in the way only really French films can be. Which is not to say it's a bad film. It maintains the tension of man vs nature throughout the run time (nearly two and a half hours, so plan accordingly). Just don't go in expecting any kind of warm and fuzzy moments. It's mostly in French with some Spanish, English, and Italian thrown in so make sure you have subtitles on. The funniest thing about the film is precisely how little has changed in the social commentary.
It's available for streaming on HBO Max, or on Kanopy if you have a library card.
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