The Passenger

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The Passenger

PG

1975

1h 59m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

78 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

David Locke (Jack Nicholson) is a world-weary American journalist who has been sent to cover a conflict in northern Africa, but he makes little progress with the story. When he discovers the body of a stranger who looks similar to him, Locke assumes the dead man's identity. However, he soon finds out that the man was an arms dealer, leading Locke into dangerous situations. Aided by a beautiful woman (Maria Schneider), Locke attempts to avoid both the police and criminals out to get him.

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Critics Consensus

Antonioni's classic, a tale of lonely, estranged characters on a journey though the mysterious landscapes of identity, shimmers with beauty and uncertainty.

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David Robinson

The Times (UK)

Oct 12, 2023

It is one of those very risky pieces of virtuosity which tend inevitably to distract the mind to questions of how it's done; but it's still beautiful.

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Derek Malcolm

Guardian

Oct 11, 2023

It is essentially an internal drama traversing a moral hinterland whose only real location is the soul. And its triumph is that, in externalising this troubled journey, the film so seldom trivialises it.

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Nigel Andrews

Financial Times

Jan 2, 2019

4/5

The Passenger is almost a masterpiece. Almost? That's because the plot, a thrillerish tangle about swapped identity in a menacing foreign country, begs for the pen of Patricia Highsmith.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Sep 3, 2026

5/5

…as well as one of Jack Nicholson’s most underplayed, naturalistic performances, The Passenger has complex layers of meaning to unravel…Antonioni elevates this movie to art with some remarkable flourishes in a grounded, realistic narrative….

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Russell Davies

Observer (UK)

Oct 11, 2023

Nicholson is cast almost willfully against type -- the idea of existential pain actually appearing on that sharp face seems improbable from the start -- but it works far better than at first I feared.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Oct 5, 2023

The haunting drama is classic Antonioni, an existential quest for identity in an alienating world, and the cryptic plot and mysterious sense of emptiness plays even better with the remove of time.

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Robert P

@Superbad 3 days ago

The Passenger = a *4* star Movie

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Demi D

@redpoodle Sep 5, 2026

To the critics that gave "The Passenger" good reviews - Please don't B.S. me with all this nonsense about the beauty and the mood and the camera angles. Bull, it is the slowest, most boring, least entertaining movie I have ever seen. What a painful dull waste of time. I turned it off after an hour and 20 minutes. Couldn't take any more.

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Maarit L

@Komedienne Aug 29, 2026

I love the actors and the atmosphere of the movie. It’s beautifully shot, although the plot isn’t anything particularly special.

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Megan C.

@TexIcana Jun 29, 2026

Mixes fantasy with reality in an honest and irreverent manner. It could maybe happen to you. The age disparity between the characters leaves for some improvement.

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Alistair M

@FilmWatcher1961 May 31, 2026

Came across this film on late night TV. A real slow burner,in the quintessential European 70s style.Beautifully shot,with great scenery and is a great document of 70s life and times. Sure the plot was a bit vague at times but visually it's superb and performces by the cast are understated and believable. It definitely is a traveloge,Africa London Munich Barcelona and Andalusia in Spain.If you enjoy looking back at scenes from the past,this film is rewarding. I can see why some film buffs would consider it a classic.It has themes that are straight out of film school. In these days of fast paced SFX,Super Heroes,gratuitous violence etc.A slower paced film,that doesn't shove itself down your throat is refreshing. Not quite a classic,but not far off it.Well worth a watch.Final scene with the famous continous shot,alone makes it worth a watch.I can see why Nicholson saved it

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Max M.

@Househuntermax May 30, 2026

No idea why this movie is rated so highly by critics and the audience. With the set up, it had the potential to be a good, tense, chase thriller. But nothing happens. Like nothing.

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Michelangelo Antonioni

Director

Jack Nicholson

David Locke

Maria Schneider

Girl

Jenny Runacre

Rachel Locke

Ian Hendry

Martin Knight

Steven Berkoff

Stephen

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Synopsis

David Locke (Jack Nicholson) is a world-weary American journalist who has been sent to cover a conflict in northern Africa, but he makes little progress with the story. When he discovers the body of a stranger who looks similar to him, Locke assumes the dead man's identity. However, he soon finds out that the man was an arms dealer, leading Locke into dangerous situations. Aided by a beautiful woman (Maria Schneider), Locke attempts to avoid both the police and criminals out to get him.

Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Producer: Carlo Ponti
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Les Films Concordia, Compagnia Cinematografica Champion
Rating: PG (Some Violence|Nudity|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 28, 1975, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Oct 28, 2005
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $619.7K
Runtime: 1h 59m
Sound Mix: Surround

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