Top 5 Heart Stopping Moments From The Passenger
#5: Hand Me the Phone
We don’t learn much about Benson’s exact motives. But we do get a glimpse at his home life when he brings Randy there. There too is Benson’s mother, who already seems more than a little checked out. After Benson retrieves a pistol, he leaves Randy in the living room with his mother under strict orders not to touch anything. Randy’s doing all he can to keep cool, but Benson’s mom soon notices the red stains on his shirt. She then asks Randy to hand him the phone. Randy, fearing Benson but also what he’d do if his mother calls the police, complies anyway to keep up appearances. So we’re more than a little worried for him when Benson catches him.
#4: School Confrontation
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Another teased element of Benson’s backstory comes when he and Randy visit the latter’s elementary school in search of his second grade teacher. After Benson chillingly charms the receptionist into giving them information, he runs into the vice principal, whom he recognizes from his teaching days. Without identifying himself, Benson flies into a rage in the parking lot, brutally beating Mr. Sheppard. It takes all of Randy’s persuasions to keep Benson from shooting him right then and there. We breathe a brief sigh of relief, until we find out that emergency services were unable to save Mr. Sheppard.
#3: Diner Standoff
Of all the places Benson takes Randy, it’s the diner that they return to, which is definitely a mistake. After psychologically berating a server earlier in the day, Benson forces Randy and Ms. Beard to sit with him in a booth. Having taken a cell phone from Ms. Beard’s, Randy feigns needing to use the restroom to call 9-1-1. He thankfully isn’t caught, but things escalate when the server recognizes Benson and stands up for herself. Out of cruelty and frustration, Benson shoots the poor woman in the leg before turning the gun on Ms. Beard and accidentally clipping Randy. As if the scene wasn’t emotionally wrought enough, it’s how Benson handles the police that makes the climax truly tragic.
#2: Opening Attack
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If there’s any one scene that feels all too real, it’s the one in the burger joint. Already we can feel a sense of malice emanating from Benson, even when he’s sticking up for Randy against a mean coworker. The guy is definitely a grade-a jerk, but he still doesn’t deserve to be struck down when Benson retrieves a shotgun from his car, nor does their fleeing manager. Too traumatized to flee is their other coworker, who can only stare aghast at the carnage before Benson too denies her mercy. While Benson does spare Randy, the look on the latter’s face while he expects a similar death is absolutely terrifying.
#1: Visiting Ms. Beard
At this point in the film, we’ve seen Benson go off the rails continuously. And we honestly don’t know what to expect of Ms. Beard over a decade since a young Randy accidentally took her eye. So when she turns out to be a kind woman who’s more than come to terms with her unfortunate situation, we fear for her safety that much more. Naturally, it isn’t long before Ms. Beard receives word of what happened at the school. Knowing her visitors just came from there, on top of seeing Benson’s bloodied knuckles, it isn’t hard to connect the dots. Nor is it for Benson, who promptly reveals his firearm. Ms. Beard is unharmed, but watching her plead for her life is harrowing.
