The Passenger

I didn't know anything about The Passenger when I turned it on. I expected another bland throw-away streaming movie that I either hate or does nothing for me. But it surprised me in more than one way. It hits hard, and it doesn't take long to do it.

The performances by both leads are fantastic. Kyle Gallner is really starting to impress me. I've seen him in other things. But his performances in this and Smile have solidified him as someone who makes me more excited to see a movie.

It does a great job of getting you emotionally invested in the characters and their arcs. And there are numerous intense scenes.

I can't fully explain why I don't love this more. It's good but still feels more like a streaming movie than a theatrical one. And I don't see myself watching it again. But I'm glad I did and I had a good time.

(1 viewing, 3/14/2024)

A young man, who's not living, but merely existing, has his life changed or awaken by a deranged and violent coworker one workday. A shocking incident sends both men on an unpredictable, violent and ultimately inspirational journey to self-discovery for one man and a doomed ending for the other man. Oddly, the deranged violent coworker, played masterfully by the always versatile and great Kyle Gallner, is an effective life coach to his timid coworker. Sure his methods are unorthodox and psychotic, but he gets the job done. Gallner is a perfect balance of uneasy calmness and explosive rage, and his final scene saying what he wanted to be as a child was sadly and beautifully acted. If a critically-acclaimed studio produced this movie or it pushed a certain political agenda, he would have been nominated for the "big" primetime award. Mostly everything behind and in front of the camera works, but something was missing. I don't know if it's in the drawn-out mall scene, but something's missing. I appreciate the ambiguous writing behind what happened to Benson (Gallner) as a child. His emotions when running into his past was enough. A good movie that takes you on a thrill ride, simmers some, thrills a little more, and then it just ends.

This movie is mischaracterized as a horror. It's definitely more of a suspense/psychological drama.

That being said, I thought it was rather enjoyable, with award-winning performances by Gallner and Berchtold. Can't stress enough how much Gallner's presence carries the overall average script.

The writing can feel a little flat, and the pacing sort of dies off after the first act. But, all in all, it's a decently solid film, with some interesting ideas about the balance of passivity versus aggression in relation to Randy and Benson. The main characters both stand as pillars of each side. And the narrative seems to pose the question of what is truly functional and healthy behavior when dealing with past trauma and present conflict.

Would highly recommend a watch, just for the performances alone. Looking forward to catching more of Gallner and Berchtold down the road. Great actors with promising careers ahead of them.

The Passenger is definitely one of my favorite 2023 watches; it's very well directed and the storyline is written progressively. Kyle Gallner is the star of the film with his antihero character where you can have a love-hate relationship with him. I feel like he's perfectly casted in this role and he just never disappoints with his performances lately. Perhaps 2023 is Kyle Gallner's year and I am all here for it and I just hope he is getting all the recognition he deserves.

The film is kind of like Terrence Malick's Badlands, also with a serial killer holding another character hostage, but with a sweet ending of betrayal, friendship, and love. Randy and Benny are two co-workers who soon and slowly forms a brotherhood bond as they drive along their small town, where not only they open up about their deepest darkest traumas but also their deepest sweetest desires. It's a story that you ought to not romanticize because of a character who's fixed to be a villain/murderer, but wherein you just realize that this villain, this antagonist of the story, still has a heart...for one person; the person he feels sorry for being oppressed, being maltreated...This antagonist, Benson, finally takes a stand for Randy, and teaches him that it's okay to react, to have some self-respect, that in the end, it's the thing that ends all this tragedy.

This really surprised me. I had no expectations going into it but was hugely impressed by the end.

On reflection, the first thing I think of is how well made it is. The direction, the editing, the plot, the script and the acting are all top drawer.

Special shouts out go to Kyle Gallner who is excellent as the burger boy gone postal.

Johnny Berchtold is great as the wimp you need when Micael Cera is too expensive.

Carter Smith and Jack Stanley, Director and writer respectively, are names i will look out for in the future.

The 2 scenes, one in the burger joint and the diner, are ones that will live with me for a while.