‘The Passenger’ Review: A Low-Key But Sneakily Effective Blumhouse Thrill Ride
02.08.2023 - 20:53
/ variety.com
Michael Nordine author There’s more than one way to be a passenger in life, not all of which involve vehicles. That’s certainly the case when it comes to the protagonist in Carter Smith’s propulsive new thriller, which functions like a therapy session on wheels between a murderous shrink and an unwilling patient.
If the two of them don’t exactly paint the town red during their would-be getaway, it’s only because their journey was precipitated by a shocking act of violence in their place of business and they now have to keep a low profile. “The Passenger” does as well, and proves sneakily effective with its low-key approach to several kinds of violence.Before anything overt occurs, the film unsettles us via the color scheme of the grimy fast-food joint where Bradley (Johnny Berchtold) works: a mix of unappetizing yellow, orange, and brown that looks to have been designed at the height of the ‘70s and never updated in the decades since.
He’s a lock for employee of the month, not that that’s saying much: Benson (Kyle Gallner of last year’s surprise hit “Smile”) mostly keeps to himself, while Chris (Matthew Laureano) is a bully more interested in coworker Jess (Jordan Sherley) than he is in collecting a paycheck. To call it a toxic work environment would be an understatement, especially after a triple murder results in Bradley hitting the road as Benson’s passenger/hostage.
Suffice to say that his promotion to manager at another location is being put on the back burner.Gallner does exceptional work as the unstable force who sets these events in motion, particularly in his first scene behind the wheel with Bradley in the passenger seat. Doing a bit of mental math, he thinks aloud while calculating how many hours it will be
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