Film Review: The Passenger

Director: Michelangelo Antonioni

The 1975 French-Italian drama that was released at the Cannes Festival and competed for the Palme d'Or but lost out to Chronique des Années de Braise. The film is often praised for its excellent use of camerawork and the fantastic locations used including Barcelona, the province of Almeria in Spain and the North African desert.

David Locke (Jack Nicholson) is a frustrated TV journalist who is searching for rebels who are fighting a civilian war in an un-named African country. He has been unable to find them so far and his Land Rover has just broke down in the desert so he heads back to the hotel where he meets an Englishman named Robertson who says he is there on business. After Locke finds Robertson dead in his hotel room he decides to swap identities with him and report that Locke has died to escape his monotonous life.

David Locke with his stricken Land Rover

Jack Nicholson is impressive as the nomadic David Locke who ditches his mundane life to live the life of another and possibly bites off more than he can chew. His life in England was uninteresting living in suburbia with his wife so he escapes to become the man he thinks he wants to be. The film does present some great ideas around identity and personality but the plot itself is excruciatingly slow in developing after the first act, Antonioni is ponderous in his direction and pauses to admire the view on many an occasion.

2/4 Beautifully shot but achingly slow plot