The Passenger
Synopsis
Since leading man Jack Nicholson acquired the rights to The Passenger in the mid-1980s, screenings of Antonioni's 1975 identity-swap oddity have become increasingly rare. Now, reissued in a new print, we have a chance to enjoy this tale of a world-weary television reporter in Africa who is profoundly depressed by his failing marriage and by a drab professional career. While researching a documentary in the Sahara Desert he meets a gunrunner who dies suddenly. Noticing that they have a similar appearance, he assumes the recently deceased's identity and accepts the consequences that it brings, showcasing one of Jack Nicholson's finest ever screen performances.
Critics
“A classic...that really does shimmer in the mind like a remembered dream.”
“Antonioni draws on certain thriller conventions: car chases, assassinations, female romantic interest... and Tovoli's magnificent cinematography of the African desert and the arid Spanish countryside.”