The Passenger

1975 Drama

The mutual admiration between actor Jack Nicholson and director Michelangelo Antonioni resulted in the psychological drama The Passenger. Nicholson plays David Locke, a disillusioned American reporter who is sent on a grueling mission to North Africa. When he stumbles across the body of a dead man, Locke, long desirous of starting life over again, assumes the corpse's identity. He soon discovers that the man he's pretending to be is involved in gun running on behalf of a terrorist group. Making the acquaintance of a mysterious woman (Maria Schneider), he finds a kindred spirit -- a woman as "lost" as he.

Director: Michelangelo Antonioni

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Maria Schneider, Jenny Runacre, Ian Hendry, Steven Berkoff

Reviews

  • What's most shocking about The Passenger 30 years later? Seeing Jack Nicholson at the lean, sardonic height of his youthful powers? Finding a Michelangelo Antonioni movie with an actual plot?

    Ty Burr - The Boston Globe

    20 January 2013

  • Still packs a wallop. It's also a movie with no easy passage to its dark heart.

    Michael Wilmington - The Chicago Tribune

    20 January 2013

  • A rare chance to see a major cinematic work on the big screen.

    - The San Francisco Chronicle

    20 January 2013

  • Visually stunning adventure. (Review of Original Release)

    - TV Guide

    20 January 2013

  • The Passenger isn't finally the masterpiece some have made it out to be, but it retains a singular intrigue: It's the first, and probably the last, thriller ever made about depression.

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    20 January 2013

Awards

  • Best European Film (Bedste europæiske film)

    Bodil Awards (1976)

  • Michelangelo Antonioni

    Cannes Film Festival (1975)

     
  • Best Cinematography (Migliore Fotografia)

    Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (1976)

  • Best Foreign Actor (Mejor Actor Extranjero)

    Sant Jordi Awards (1977)