Atemlos vor Angst

I came across this American version years ago and know it off by heart. Then I encountered the French original (and read the book it’s based on). Since then, I haven't given up on Friedkin's remake, but I kind of “took it off the pedestal". Even so, I wouldn’t hesitate to rank it among the best remakes ever. I'd even say it's one of the few remakes that makes sense and stands on its own. In many ways it equals the original (Montaud vs. Schneider); in some ways it even surpasses it by miles (the musical component, all respect to Tangerine Dream) and it is certainly no less exciting. The problem lies in intensity and escalation of tension. In this movie they are not to be found even in one single scene, while they are present in the French version throughout the second half. I partly blame the hallucinatory atmosphere (see the truck assembly, etc.) that Friedkin wrapped it into. It is certainly absorbing, but the absolute and total realism of the original is achieved somehow better in other movies of this type. Still, it's a shame it's the last of the good big films by William Friedkin, he was mighty talented. (06.08.2010)

A really decent thriller with the ultimate bridge crossing sequence. The atmosphere of a remote Central American town is spotlessly built up and if it weren’t for the slower take off I would go for full marks. And then the explosions...beautiful and honest work which shows that everything always looks better without special effects. By the way, this is an unforgettable experience with the original dubbing. - And what is it that you do, Mr...? Dominguez. - Dominguez. - I play ice hockey. (07.01.2011)

I have the original as one of the best films I’ve ever seen, so it’s hard to avoid comparisons. What bothered me the most about Friedkin’s remake, and what makes it worse than Clouzot’s, is his lack of interest in the characters. The intro, which in the original covers an hour of the runtime and perfectly draws the protagonists and their hopelessness in a depressive, sweltering environment, here is chaotic and too constructive – Clouzot went for the most naturalistic approach possible, which makes the viewer fear for the characters, not only because they get to know them more slowly and better, but also because the director didn’t need to build an artificial atmosphere to generate burning and almost unbearable tension. The truck ride was tense already because it was happening and the viewer was fully invested in the heroes. There’s no doubt that Friedkin’s version can be called good, that it takes a different route instead of only rewriting it like a slave, but its more self-aware narration, which is also more complex in the way it communicates – quite captivating when it comes to generating expectations (an excellent example is the montage when they are fixing the trucks and the absence of any psychical responses of the characters regarding their “suicidal” mission) – considerably weakens the effect of the second half, which itself is very good and even has one scene that surpasses the original. Basically, it’s all too detached from the characters (when they choose the four drivers, the only one the viewer has established a bond with is Roy Scheider’s, and there are two we hardly get to know), focusing instead on audiovisual creativity, which Friedkin perhaps has plenty of, but it never fits this sweaty, wild and, especially, mentally exhausting premise. Regardless, it’s 7/10 and a solid piece of filmmaking, and the original is so great that none of the complaints above can make this version below-par as a stand-alone film. (25.03.2020)

Persönlich halte ich die ersten 30 Minuten des Films für absolut überflüssig. Die außerordentlich ausführliche Exposition stellt zwar die Hauptfiguren perfekt vor (jedoch etwas langatmig), aber auf das Wichtigste müssen Sie ziemlich lange warten, denn die mit Nitroglycerin beladenen Lastwagen brechen erst in der Mitte des Films zu einer gefährlichen und holprigen Strecke voller Hindernisse auf. Andererseits ist die Fahrt in einem Gewitter auf einer einstürzenden Brücke eine der am besten aufgenommenen und spannendsten Szenen, die ich seit langem gesehen habe. (13.07.2014)