The Passenger
Composite Score: 82.33
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Maria Schneider, Jenny Runacre, Ian Hendry, Steven Berkoff, Ambroise Bia, and Charles Mulvehill
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Writers: Mark Peploe, Enrico Sannia, and Michelangelo Antonioni
Genres: Drama, Thriller, Mystery
MPAA Rating: PG
Box Office: $768,744 worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
The Passenger follows war correspondent David Locke (Jack Nicholson) as he attempts to change his identity and pursue a new life after months and years of dissatisfaction. It features a nonlinear narrative that bounces between Locke’s past life and his present situation, juxtaposing Locke’s past struggles against his current frustrations. At its heart, it is a film about our desire for more and the human struggle to be content with our own lives and choices, told through the lens of a man who is given the opportunity to start anew – to some extent. Its gorgeous cinematography and subtle acting help make it one of the greats on this list.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
As nonlinear narratives go, this is one of the more confusing I have encountered among similar films. The time jumps are relatively small (only a few months or years), so the characters look very much like their present selves in the past. Compounding the visual confusion is the fact that the first time break does not happen until nearly twenty minutes into the film’s run-time, making it that much more jarring and potentially confusing to audiences. The main purpose of these looks back is to show rather than tell the audience about David’s past, and to that end, they accomplish what they set out to do, but they don’t necessarily make the film’s story flow more smoothly.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
The last two shots of this film on their own are enough to warrant watching The Passenger. Antonioni’s use of an extended shot to keep the audience in suspense about the fate of David and his quest to start again going into a shot that keeps the audience almost estranged to what is happening in his hotel room makes the film’s conclusion one that will inevitably stick with audiences after the film ends. The emotion and suspense and engagement that those closing shots are able to elicit in the audience are palpable when the credits finally roll.
In addition to the excellent concluding cinematography, Jack Nicholson delivers a wonderfully subtle performance, contrasting with many of his other more over-the-top roles. His personification of this doubtful, frustrated, and harried man feels almost more raw than any of his award-winning performances, displaying a vulnerability that, at the very least, surprised and impressed me. The way that he manages to make this uncomfortably (at times) relatable character into someone that compels the audience to stay engaged with his story still baffles me thinking back on it now.
Nicholson’s uncharacteristically subtle and nuanced performance played against a script with themes of dissatisfaction that many can relate to combined with an incredibly shot climax help make The Passenger as great as it is. The film’s nonlinear narrative might be difficult for some to follow at various points, but the film's themes and performances will help its overall message land with most audiences. You can stream this now on either Tubi or Crackle with ads or rent it on VUDU.
