The Wages of Fear Soundtrack: The Wages of Fear is a 2024 French action-thriller directed by Julien Leclercq, who co-wrote the screenplay with Hamid Hlioua. It is a remake of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s celebrated 1953 film of the same name, itself based on Georges Arnaud’s 1950 novel. The film premiered as a Netflix original on March 29, 2024, and follows four mercenaries hired to drive two truckloads of unstable nitroglycerin across hundreds of kilometers of desert to extinguish an oil well fire threatening a refugee camp.
Quick Facts
| Title | The Wages of Fear (2024) / Le Salaire de la Peur |
| Genre | Action, Thriller |
| Release Date | March 29, 2024 (Netflix) |
| Director | Julien Leclercq |
| Writers | Julien Leclercq, Hamid Hlioua |
| Based On | The 1953 film by Henri-Georges Clouzot, from the 1950 novel by Georges Arnaud |
| Studio / Platform | Labyrinth Films, TF1 Studio — distributed by Netflix |
| Composer | Éric Serra |
| Filming Location | Morocco (60-day shoot) |
Score & Composer
Éric Serra composed the score for The Wages of Fear. The French composer is best known for his longtime collaborations with director Luc Besson, scoring GoldenEye (1995), The Fifth Element, Léon: The Professional, La Femme Nikita, The Big Blue, and Lucy (2014).
Milan Records released the official digital soundtrack album on March 29, 2024, the same day the film premiered on Netflix. The 31-track score leans into tense, propulsive cues that track the mercenaries’ journey across the desert.
Score Track List
The Wages of Fear is an original instrumental score rather than a licensed-song soundtrack. Selected cues from the verified Milan Records album track list:
| Track # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chasing Clara | 2:40 |
| 2 | In the Heart of Mess | 2:33 |
| 10 | Outlining the Mission | 1:52 |
| 14 | The Mission Starts | 4:16 |
| 16 | Loading the Nitroglycerin | 3:40 |
| 18 | Ambush in the Desert | 3:29 |
| 22 | The Minefield | 2:52 |
| 28 | The Last Race | 3:22 |
| 29 | Arrival at the Burning Well | 2:54 |
| 31 | The Wages of Fear | 1:19 |
The full 31-track album is available in its entirety on Spotify and Apple Music.
Where to Stream
The film remains available to stream on Netflix as of 2026. The score album streams on Spotify and Apple Music.
Cast
- Franck Gastambide as Fred
- Ana Girardot as Clara
- Alban Lenoir as Alex
- Sofiane Zermani as Gauthier
- Bakary Diombera as Djibril
- Astrid Whettnall as Anne Marchand
- Alka Matewa as Alka
- Sarah Afchain as Assia
The film received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics, holding a 20% approval rating from 10 critics on Rotten Tomatoes; several reviewers felt it fell short of both Clouzot’s 1953 original and its source novel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has The Wages of Fear (2024) actually been released?
Yes. Despite earlier promotional material describing it as “upcoming,” The Wages of Fear premiered as a Netflix original on March 29, 2024, and remains available on the platform as of 2026.
Who composed the score for The Wages of Fear?
Éric Serra, the French composer known for GoldenEye, The Fifth Element, and Léon: The Professional, composed the film’s original score, released digitally through Milan Records.
Is The Wages of Fear a remake?
Yes. It remakes Henri-Georges Clouzot’s acclaimed 1953 French thriller of the same name, which itself was based on Georges Arnaud’s 1950 novel.
Where was The Wages of Fear filmed?
The film was shot over 60 days in Morocco in early 2023.
Is The Wages of Fear still on Netflix in 2026?
Yes, as of mid-2026 the film remains part of Netflix’s library.
How was The Wages of Fear received by critics?
Reviews were largely negative — the film holds a 20% approval rating from 10 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics generally comparing it unfavorably to Clouzot’s original.