The Passenger – A Bumpy Ride Led By A Brilliant Performance

The Passenger, produced by Blumhouse, was released quietly at the start of August on MGM+ and various VOD platforms for rental or purchase. The film got good reviews, namely for Kyle Gallner’s career best performance, but has since made little noise and hasn’t received nearly as much attention as it should have. The film follows socially awkward and wimpy Randolph (Berchtold) who is forced to face his fears and confront his troubled past while finding a way to survive after his co-worker, Benson (Gallner), snaps and goes on a violent killing spree. Reading that premise, it is easy to develop some expectations given the Blumhouse logo in front of it. However, after a literal explosive opening act, the film goes in several unexpected directions and becomes something much different and more thoughtful than what one would initially expect for better or worse.

Hands down, the best thing about The Passenger is Gallner’s career-best performance. Though he has always been an underrated talent, this is something completely different for him and he absolutely crushes it as Benson. A real test of his range, Gallner was more than up to the challenge, going from genuinely scary, intense, and chilling to a role model of sorts to Randolph on a dime while finding the perfect balance between those wildly different tones. On a little bit of a resurgence as of late, this role is sure to take that resurgence that much further. Meanwhile, Berchtold is solid as Randolph. While he’s overshadowed a bit by Gallner, he still carves out a lane for himself as he develops such a connection with audiences that they care about Randolph’s journey and wondering where it’ll end. Berchtold and Gallner have such strong chemistry that simple dialog-driven scenes are among the best in the film. The way it builds tension and its third act makes up for the slower pace of its middle act even if not everything about it works.

What ultimately holds it back from truly taking off is unfortunately the handling of the story and some of the writing. The film opens on a strong and intense note that sets up a dark, violent, and moody horror thriller. While the film maintains much of that darker tone as it went on, it suddenly takes a hard left turn and becomes something closer to a drama which certainly makes for a little jarring transition at first. The middle act does meander quite a bit and feels like it almost loses focus on what was set up to begin with. But, once audiences come to terms with the fact that this is telling a different story, it starts to work more and makes one look back at the entire experience in a much more positive light.

The writing in the third act is where the film really suffers. While it is arguably the most entertaining and intense part of the film, there are so many choices that characters make that don’t feel earned or come out of nowhere. It’s tough to really get into any of it in great detail without spoilers, but though the third act is enjoyable in the moment, it wraps up way too nicely and doesn’t end certain arcs in an overly satisfying or believable way.

In the end, The Passenger might not be great or anything audiences need to rush out and watch immediately, but for those who are fans of these types of thrillers or Gallner, this is a must watch for his brilliant performance alone. It’s just a shame the story can never quite reach his level of greatness but despite that, it is still an investing and mostly engaging horror thriller that’s at least worth a watch somewhere down the line.

still courtesy of Blumhouse Productions

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/