Top 5 Things To Know About The Passenger

“The Passenger’s” title refers to 21-year-old Randy, an introverted fast food worker whose day takes a turn for the horrifying. His coworker, Benson, embarks on a violent spree beginning at their restaurant. But when he sees Randy’s resignation to the situation, Benson spares him and forces Randy to accompany him on the run. Benson, seeing both good and weakness in Randy, takes it upon himself to better him, by any means necessary. This of course leads to further confrontations, and at a certain point, Randy will have to decide how far to go along with this twisted crusade, and whether this newfound trauma will unlock some of his own that has been long-repressed.

A good script is only as good as the actors bringing it to life, and thankfully, “The Passenger” picked a more than capable duo to lead the charge. Most recognizable will arguably be Kyle Gallner, who plays Benson in the film. Gallner is no stranger to horror, headlining more than a few movies around the turn of the 2010s. So it should come as no surprise that he brings the same level of intensity needed here. Meanwhile, Johnny Berchtold, who plays Randy, will be a new face to most, but he gives an incredibly memorable performance here, displaying all the nuanced anguish one would expect of the character.

Obviously, certain elements of “The Passenger” will evoke all-too-real current events. In a day and age where such extreme and often random acts of violence are a regular occurrence, one can easily draw parallels to Benson’s actions. But like anything important in our current reality, it’s worth discussing and depicting in various forms of media. To that end, the movie does a good job in grounding its various events in reality. It never feels gratuitous or unnecessary, as the movie clearly has more on its mind thematically than its plot elements. More on that later.

Whereas some movies haven’t handled such heavy subject matter with the greatest tact, you’ll be happy to know that “The Passenger” does and then some. It’s keenly aware of the grave nature of its themes, never glorifying violence or those who commit it. Instead, it rightly establishes itself as a character drama first, allowing the narrative to be driven by their perspectives rather than the other way around. Just like in real life, the events depicted both start and end with human experience, as it is shaped by and shapes the people involved.

Beyond just the stark representation of real-world violence, “The Passenger” does a terrific job of layering in numerous themes stemming from the human psyche. At the heart of Randy’s characterization is a childhood incident wherein he inadvertently injured his teacher. As such, he bears a great amount of guilt, which has led to his extreme passiveness in everyday life. But on the other side of the coin is the theme of agency. Whereas Benson exerts his agency in a wholly destructive manner, Randy must take a cue from him in a sense to reclaim his own if he wants to stop the bloodshed. It just goes to show how much thought was put into both the film’s story and characterizations.