‘The Passenger’: Nicholson Shines in Antonioni’s Underrated Masterpiece

Michelangelo Antonioni’s “The Passenger” (1975) marked a special collaboration between the director and his star, Jack Nicholson.

Their daring, highly unusual film, now 50 years old, is a challenging work and deserves to be rediscovered.

When we meet Locke, played by Nicholson, he’s a reporter on assignment in the Sahara Desert, finding himself alone and unhappy. His vehicle stuck in the sand, Locke defeatedly returns to his rundown room for rent and discovers that his neighbor has died.

Rather than report it, Locke is suddenly hit with an idea and runs with it: Locke steals the dead man’s identity and flees the country.

Locke was originally on the search for truth, but his journey became about creating and maintaining his own, original existence. When Locke meets a character identified as Girl (Maria Schneider), he only entangles her in the danger his new life has brought him.

A subplot emerges where figures from Locke’s past are trying to locate him. Yet, since Locke’s existence is no longer tied to his former identity and his path coincides with a newfound danger, who exactly is he at that point?

The initial luxury Locke experiences in wandering the world a free, anonymous figure becomes yet another form of existential dread.

Patient in its scene-to-scene movement, which isn’t the same as being slow or boring, “The Passenger” has this spellbinding ability to make the viewer feel like you’re seeing the story occur in a real, organic manner and not ensnared to convention or mainstream narrative expectations.

Locke’s strange journey, both a soul search and an escape from the past he escaped and the present he’s failing to control, could be taken as a metaphor for counter culturists. Or, it could be an allegory for what Nicholson and other actors experience whenever they take on a new character.

Jack Nicholson, Maria Schneider ‘The Passenger’ (1975) Michelangelo Antonioni. pic.twitter.com/MM6mKrJUws

— The projectionist woman (@projectionistw) March 4, 2023

Perhaps some will be bored by this (as some were with Antonioni’s prior films) but what the filmmaker succeeds at evoking is a story unfolding in real time. The unpredictable quality of the story and the transformative nature of Nicholson’s character mark it distinctly as a film of the 1970s.

Yet, even in the midst of gritty, uncommercial, anti-mainstream 70’s works like, for example, “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975) or “The Conversation” (1974), Michelangelo’s film maintains an experimental approach that defies easy categorization. Like a David Lynch film (minus the overt surrealism) without a scholarly or any explanation, there’s still so much here to unpack.

Rather than come across as aloof or cold, “The Passenger” is intensely fascinating, a movie that rewards multiple viewings and offers a deep cut for fans of Nicholson’s work.

Michelangelo’s most well-known films will always be “Blow-Up” (1966), “L’Avventura” (1960), “Zabriskie Point” (1970) and “Red Desert” (1964). Yet another crucial Antonioni deep cut is his final film, “Beyond the Clouds” (1995), which the filmmaker co-directed with Wim Wenders.

That film has ravishing dream-like moments that have never left me. I remain hopeful that The Criterion Collection will rescue “Beyond the Clouds” from obscurity.

The most famous scenes in “The Passenger” are the single-take shots where so much is happening in the frame, while a great deal of choreography and careful timing is occurring off camera. Digital filming would allow so many acrobatic shots to be achieved more easily today but Antonioni was doing in-camera shots that are amazing for how seamless they look.

Nicholson has called the making of “The Passenger” as “the biggest adventure in filming of my life.”

The Passenger (1975, Antonioni)

“Michelangelo Antonioni reduced all this reducing of the actor’s use to me in one simple statement, ‘Jack, nothing’s wrong, but for me, the actor is a moving space’.”

— Jack Nicholson pic.twitter.com/Ilz2wn9Smh

— DepressedBergman (@DannyDrinksWine) June 15, 2024

Nicholson plays all this very real and straightforward, without the knowing stylishness of his more flamboyant portrayals. As in his best work, you can never catch him acting.

Part travelogue, part thriller, “The Passenger” is a loving expression of the possibilities of cinema. “The Passenger” arrived in 1975, a landmark year for Nicholson- the same year as his odd cameo in the Ken Russell musical “Tommy,” his ill-fated comic turn in Mike Nichols’ flop “The Fortune” and, most crucially, his starring role in the Best Picture Oscar winner, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

“The Passenger” was the third of Antonioni’s trilogy of English-language films (“Blow-Up” and “Zabriskie Point” were the others).

After being released in the 1980s in a clamshell videocassette, Nicholson took the film out of circulation and made it a hard to find, sought after work. The film resurfaced in 2005-2006, with Sony Pictures distributing a re-release and Nicholson providing a solo commentary track on the DVD that acts as a master class for actors and fans of the film in general.

Now more than 50 years old and mostly forgotten, “The Passenger” is a gift for lovers of cinema and an underseen masterpiece from both Antonioni and Nicholson.

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Odenkirk’s Fargo-Style ‘Normal’ Goes Full Tarantino

“Normal” is a spiritual cousin to “Fargo” until it channels its inner “Straw Dogs” on steroids.

Confused? You have no idea until you experience “Normal.”

Bob Odenkirk’s latest stab at action-star status is a head scratcher, a sly, smart character study that goes gonzo mid-film. Director Ben Wheatley (“Free Fire”) is no stranger to cinematic chaos, but even he loses all control of the story and characters.

It’s hard to get angry at a film with its tongue buried so deeply in its cheek, but you’ll also miss the movie it might have been.

Odenkirk stars as Ulysses, a temporary sheriff in the small town of Normal, Minn. He’s a stopgap solution, and he treats the gig accordingly. 

Low-profile law and order stuff. Period. He’s nursing a deep personal wound, so this kind of part-time job is just what the doctor ordered.

Except he’s too good of a cop not to notice something is a bit, off, about the locals. The town’s Mayor (Henry Winkler) thinks he could be a good long-term solution to the sheriff vacancy, but even that sales pitch raises the lawman’s suspicions.

What is everyone hiding?

If you’ve seen the trailer, you know where this is headed. Can Ulysses crack the town’s mystery before one of a million bullets comes for him?

The first half of “Normal” is exactly what’s missing from too many movies today.

• A complicated, relatable hero
• Dialogue that’s both rich and full of life
• Minor character details that make this small town pop (think mustaches)
• A mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat

And then the bullets start flying, and everything “Normal” established is thrown out the window.

It doesn’t help that the film’s moral compass is wobbly, at best. A pair of bank robbers are rebranded as heroes in short order. Some lazy dialogue trots out lazy class envy rhetoric, complete with attacks on those eeeevil banks.

Good guys become bad guys before reclaiming their hero status without rhyme or reason.

The one surprise? A key character is revealed as non-binary, but the film doesn’t overplay the moment or deliver a lecture, a la “Malcolm in the Middle.”

Except for all the rich character work completed in the film’s superior first half, that character (played by Jess McLeod) gets little attention or exploration.

Nor does Lena Headey, granted one strong scene early in the film and ignored until later. And that’s “Normal’s” biggest problem.

Why bother exploring the quaint town of Normal and its oddball residents if you’re going to toss every ounce of that hard work later? It’s fine for a movie to experience a dramatic shift, a la “Sinners” or “From Dusk ‘Til Dawn.” The two halves still have to function as a single unit, and that’s where “Normal” collapses.

The ultra-violence packs some obvious laughs, and some of the brutality is well staged. The rest is so chaotic and uninspiring, especially in a post-“John Wick” world.

Just don’t blame Odenkirk. He’s heartbreaking as Ulysses, a man crushed by a tragedy that had a spiraling impact on his life. The star doesn’t need much screen time to capture his character’s pain and resilience, but he does so with brutal efficiency.

In an alternate universe, “Normal” would find something less sensational to anchor its seismic mid-movie shift. In this universe, “Normal” is fascinating until it bludgeons us into submission.

HiT or Miss: “Normal” works hard to build a small town setting with a secret, but said secret proves the movie’s undoing.

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‘Crime 101’ Is Inferior Spin on This Cop Classic

Brad Layton’s “Crime 101” had a brief run in theaters this past February, before getting pulled, despite strong reviews and a $37 million domestic box office tally that was far from embarrassing (though not enough to cover the reported $90 million budget).

A month later, it premiered on Amazon Prime, where most were seeing it for the first time.

I’m glad the film is finding a new and appreciative audience and there are things to savor in this contemporary crime thriller. Nevertheless, the problem with the film isn’t with the level of filmmaking or the performances, but an overly familiar screenplay, with too many elements we’ve all seen before.

We meet Mike (Chris Hemsworth), a slickly attired jewel thief, during a heist that takes an unexpected twist of fate. Lou (Mark Ruffalo), the detective on Mike’s case, is at odds with his department and is tireless in his efforts to catch him.

Meanwhile, Sharon (Halle Berry), a veteran insurance broker, is wasting her time with insufferable clients (chief among them played by a wonderfully loathsome Tate Donovan) and a career that is heading nowhere. There’s also Ormon (Barry Keoghan), a deranged biker and thief who keeps crossing Mike’s path during the most inopportune moments.

These central characters, seemingly living separate lives that couldn’t be more disconnected, come crashing together.

Michael Mann’s “Heat,” the best film of 1995, has influenced so many subsequent crime sagas, best among them Ben Affleck’s better-than-expected “The Town” (2010). Here, the similarities to “Heat” are too close, too on-the-nose.

A subplot with Mike’s unexpected, tortured romance with Maya (played by Monica Babaro, terrific here and as Joan Baez in the 2024 “A Complete Unknown”) is compelling, until you remember how much better this was handled between Robert DeNiro and Amy Brenneman in “Heat.”

Keoghan’s Ormon is strange and intriguing but never carries the danger of Kevin Gage’s Waingro in the Mann film. Likewise, the contrasts between the Hemsworth/Ruffalo characters vs Pacino/DeNiro, or Jon Voight’s striking mentor role in Mann’s film versus Nick Nolte’s similar turn here (in fairness, Nolte isn’t in this one enough to register as strongly).

Obviously, filmgoers who have never seen or even heard of “Heat” will like “Crime 101” so much more. For me, the worst thing about “Crime 101” is how much it made me want to turn it off and watch “Heat” instead.

There’s also an unfortunate moment where Mike and Lou discuss movies and “Bullitt” (1968) is brought up, another too-obvious nod that Hemsworth character is supposed to be channeling Steve McQueen. Most will realize this long before the movie literally has the actor announce this to us.

Still, I enjoyed “Crime 101” for the beautiful cinematography of Erik Wilson (who shot all three of the “Paddington” films) and the strength of the performances.

I haven’t been this blown away by Hemsworth since his unexpected turn in the vastly underrated “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (2024); the actor’s way of conveying so much inner torment and conflict with very little dialogue is impressive.

Mike is a compelling figure, and Hemsworth is the film’s center.

Berry also delivers one of her best performances and, after some shamelessly flamboyant recent turns in “Poor Things” (2024) and “Mickey 17” (2025), it’s great seeing Ruffalo give a performance that doesn’t try to match Pacino, but serves as a nice counterpoint to his career-best work in “Zodiac” (2007).

We’ve got one last job for you. Crime 101 is now streaming on Prime Video – don’t miss out. pic.twitter.com/NqAYcu8tZP

— Prime Movies (@primemovies) April 1, 2026

Based on Don Winslow’s 2020 novella, Layton’s screenplay keeps the story moving but mostly redresses the conflicts of “Heat,” though his film has unexpected twists.

No spoilers from me, but the most surprising quality is how upbeat the ending is. I don’t mean to undermine the feel-good quality of the conclusion, which is the last thing I expected from a moralistic L.A. crime saga, but I suspect even Frank Capra would find the closing moments a little too much.

“Crime 101” is pretty good and has moments to savor but seriously, if you haven’t seen “Heat,” start there, then watch “The Town” and then come back for “Crime 101.”

Two and half stars (out of four)

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Why Adam McKay’s ‘Thrash’ Drowns in Climate Fearmongering

There are two distinct signs that Climate Change fearmonger Adam McKay produced the shark thriller “Thrash.”

The creative team gave him a shout-out with a McKay-themed tanker that spills its cargo early in the film. And the story never stops reminding us that we helped make the movie’s signature storm a reality.

Where’s that Al Gore cameo when you need it?

“Thrash” is still an unabashed B-movie, and it works best by leaning into those genre tics. The story simply doesn’t know whether to let loose or keep reminding us why we need to reduce our carbon footprint, and stat.

(Except China can do what it pleases…)

A massive storm is heading toward a coastal South Carolina town, and a few unwise souls haven’t heeded the warnings to seek higher ground.

Dakota (Whitney) has a good excuse. She’s become agoraphobic since the death of her mother, and nothing is going to pry her out of her home. Expectant mother Lisa (Phoebe Dynevor) tries to leave, but the fast-moving storm has other plans for her.

And a trio of teens was told to stay put by their evil foster parents. More on them in a moment.

The storm proves as dangerous as promised, but that’s not the worst part. The rising waters bring a crush of bull sharks into the town, and they’re famished.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“Thrash” feels like a sober spin on “Sharknado,” another film where the deadly fish can move almost anywhere they please. This isn’t intentional camp, though, and director Tommy Wirkola of “Dead Snow” fame proves adept at both the kills and camera flourishes.

There’s real talent behind the camera. The script is another story.

The recent thriller “Crawl” (2019) featured a similar scenario with far better results. That film focused on killer crocs, while sharks are the main course here. 

There’s a reason Quentin Tarantino loves that movie.

“Thrash” is occasionally gripping, but there’s little storytelling momentum and the character development is hopelessly flat. Yes, Dakota proves to be a plucky heroine, but her increasingly absurd actions don’t gel with the film’s serious mood.

RELATED: 11 INSANE SHARK MOVIES (NOT NAMED SHARKNADO)

And, in case you missed some of the messaging peppered throughout the film, Wirkola’s camera keeps showing U.S. flags to let us know who’s to blame for this eco-disaster.

Think that’s accidental? Then you don’t know how McKay weaponizes pop culture. And look no further than the evil foster dad (Matt Nable). He might as well be wearing a red MAGA hat. He hearts country music, keeps juicy steaks out of the reach of his kids and has a basement teeming with rifles.

Subtle.

Even the great Djimon Hounsou can’t class up the film with his steely presence as Dakota’s Uncle.

Genre films often send messages between the thrills. The great 2014 shocker “The Host” warned about polluting the waters while delivering a kick-arse B-movie.

“Thrash,” by comparison, isn’t satisfying enough to distract us from the eco-bullet points.

HiT or Miss: “Thrash” has its moments, but the film’s heavy messaging floods the senses.

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‘Outcome’ Takes Belated Slap at Cancel Culture

The “Now, It Can Be Told” files have a new chapter.

Hollywood looked the other way as Cancel Culture silenced comedians, shuttered R-rated comedies and told screenwriters what they could and couldn’t say on screen.

Somebody should write a book about that. Oh, wait…

Now, Jonah Hill has something to say on the subject, in a spiritual sequel to last year’s superior “Jay Kelly.” “Outcome,” an Apple TV+ original, follows a superstar actor struggling to stay ahead of a nasty news cycle.

Except we don’t know what that news cycle might be.

It’s clever on the surface, but Hill’s second narrative feature is nearly derailed by the film’s co-star – Hill himself.

Keanu Reeves is a curious choice to play Reef Hawk, a Tom Cruise-level superstar who has been in the public eye since he was a toe-tapping child star. Reeves’ upbeat, positive brand is legendary, while his character in the film is far from perfect.

He’s globally famous, rich beyond anyone’s dreams and surrounded by his old high school chums, Kyle and Xander (Cameron Diaz ​and Matt Bomer). And he’s as distant and self-centered as one might imagine, given his fame.

Reef successfully kicked a heroin habit and is ready to make more movies, until his “crisis lawyer” tells him an incriminating video is lurking out there, somewhere.

Hill plays Ira, a legal “fixer,” with a bald head, unruly beard and gleaming white caps. The “Superbad” alum is almost unrecognizable, and that may be a good thing. Hill’s performance is a nightmare, an over-the-top turn that strains to make us laugh but never succeeds.

Grating barely describes it.

It’s up to Ira to find out what the video in question contains and the best way to minimize the PR fallout. Along the way, we learn plenty about Reef’s problematic past, a narrative better realized with that recent George Clooney vehicle.

“Outcome” starts as a navel-gazing exercise in Hollywood greed, but before long the film’s true target emerges – Cancel Culture.

Reef did something to someone at some time, and it’s a mad dash to learn what might have been so problematic to his career.

An offensive film role? A social media message gone awry? A perfectly acceptable movie that’s now deemed problematic? 

Or something worse?

One scene finds Ira recruiting a dream team of spin cycle experts to brace for the social media storm. Yes, that’s Laverne Cox handling PR work from a woman’s perspective, and a barely there Roy Wood, Jr. tackling race-related issues.

That’s assuming Reef did something racially charged in the first place. Wink-wink, nudge-nudge.

That story thread should have been hilarious, but “Outcome” is too brazen in its approach. Plus, anytime Hill is on screen, the comedic potential droops.

Hill, with co-writer Ezra Woods, can be too on the nose even for Elon Musk, the man who coined the term “woke mind virus.”

If you didn’t get where Hill and Woods were going, a bumper sticker closeup does the heavy lifting: “Honk if you can separate the art from the artist.”

The film’s comedic value is shockingly low, but “Outcome” works better as a dramatic closeup of fame gone wild. Reeves seems in considerable pain as he reflects on a life of comfort, not collaboration.

Hill partially redeems himself with a short scene featuring Ira’s physically-challenged son. It’s a soulful moment that shows another side of his character, and the actor handles the sequence beautifully.

It reminds us of his more graceful directorial debut, “Mid-90s.”

“Outcome” has its moments, although considering the material it should have been a slam dunk for Hill given his resume and Hollywood cache. The latter helped him snag Martin Scorsese for a cameo turn, but it didn’t afford him the distance from the material to tease out larger laughs.

The “Superbad”-era Hill might have crushed this topic. Not the 2026 model, sadly.

Instead, “Outcome” is an interesting look at fame, regret and a cultural scourge that Hollywood refused to counter until it faded all on its own.

HiT or Miss: “Outcome” works far better as an X-ray of Hollywood fame than a comedy skewering Cancel Culture madness.

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Gripping and Smart: ‘Faces of Death’ Revives Cult Horror Classic

It’s impossible to recreate the myth surrounding the “Faces of Death” franchise.

It’s also good that we won’t fall for it again.

Those movies suggested we were watching actual murders, like a theatrically approved snuff film. Turns out that wasn’t the case, barring some stock footage snippets.

The new “Faces of Death” takes a meta approach to the phenomenon. It’s a sly way to tackle the subject, even if some will argue it’s a naked ploy to exploit an IP.

And they have a point. Still, the new film delivers standard horror movie treats while saying plenty about our social media age.

None of it is good, and most of the commentary is spot on.

Young Margot (Barbie Ferreira) works at a social media platform where she labels inappropriate videos. Some clips are gruesome, while others are overtly sexual.

The tags she applies to each is fascinating. It’s purely subjective, but a few videos begin to haunt her.

Are they elaborate pranks meant to look like ritualistic killings? Or could they be the real deal?

Margot’s backstory makes her job even more difficult. She was the “star” of an infamous viral video where her sister died during a selfie-fueled stunt. The fact that anyone would hire her for her current gig is one of many head scratchers stuffed into the plot.

That’s genre movie making, for ya!

Margot’s emotional health starts to decline as she investigates those suspicious videos. Meanwhile, the story broadens to follow the man behind those seriously demented takes.

“Faces of Death” doesn’t resemble the ‘70s era franchise in any tactile fashion. It’s not a faux documentary filled with found footage or recreated slaughters. It’s a conventional horror yarn that uses that franchise as its warped inspiration.

We won’t share more to keep the surprises intact, but just know it’s reasonably clever and likely the best path forward.

None of the above makes “Faces of Death” compelling, at least at first. It takes a while before we become invested in Margot’s mission. It helps that “Stranger Things” alum Dacre Montgomery plays a fiend with a predilection for the vintage “Faces of Death” series.

He’s mesmerizing, and his performance anchors the story’s ick factor. Fans of musician Charli xcx may squeal over her appearance in the film, but it’s not a role of any consequence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Director/co-writer Daniel Goldhaber has plenty to say about our digital age, from the depths of Reddit depravity to our indifference to suffering. It can be heavy-handed at times, but it’s threaded expertly into the narrative.

Anyone looking to be shocked, or even mildly outraged, by a “Faces of Death” affair will come away disappointed. This isn’t “Terrifier” country.

The most curious part of the film is its struggle to land a release date. The production wrapped in 2023, and horror has been white-hot for some time. That, plus the IP factor and the professional approach on display make the delay a head scratcher.

Goldhaber delivers a few unsettling visuals, no doubt, but his biggest accomplishment is making us take a good, long look at western culture and our role in it.

Now, that’s scary.

HiT or Miss: “Faces of Death” may be a bit too meta for its own good, but the film builds to a compelling showdown that doesn’t require us buying the franchise’s myth-making tics.

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‘The Drama’ Is the Date Movie from Hell

More mystery, less history.

The embattled lovers in “The Drama” should have heeded that old saw. Instead, they shared too much, threatening their nuptials and a whole lot more. 

This coal-black romance asks some challenging questions, but the answers aren’t as enlightening as necessary. It’s still rigorously told with strong performance and an alarming amount of cringe.

“The Drama” is more awkward than Larry David squirming out of a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” jam.

Charlie and Emma (Robert Pattinson, Zendaya) are putting the finishing touches on their wedding ceremony. A wine tasting here, a dance lesson there, and they’re almost ready for the biggest day of their lives.

Until said wine flows a bit too freely, and Emma confesses something dark about her past. How dark? No spoilers here, but it’s sizable enough to dominate the plot.

And then some.

Charlie is stunned by the revelation, but he’s hellbent on going through with the ceremony. Is that the best path forward, or will their circle of friends convince them to hit “pause” on their romance?

“The Drama’s” hook is undeniable, but it’s really about a couple processing each other’s past selves. We all make mistakes, but what if some are so significant that it casts a shadow on our future?

How do we judge the actions that made our partners who they are today? Can everything be forgiven? Should they be?

That sounds like an “eat your vegetables” yarn, but “The Drama” is consistently engaging and spry. We slowly get to know the characters as they stare down the crisis, and their exchanges with strangers and friends alike shed more light on their morality.

Clever use of false memories and imagery spikes the story in the early sequences. That feels unnecessary given the massive twist in play, but the visual cues still enhance the material.

Emma is the more straightforward partner, a woman who shook off an early trauma to become a formidable partner. Charlie, by comparison, is melting down in real time. Pattinson’s performance is solid but a tad showy, but that may reflect his East Coast sensibility.

He’s a beta male thrust into a crisis he never expected.

There’s an elitism baked into “The Drama,” a sense that these characters can afford to over-examine flaws that others might process and move on. That alone offers a fascinating X-ray of upper middle class privilege, to steal the Left’s verbiage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The third act features a parade of hard-to-watch exchanges, and a few prove too precious to be believed. The film already teeters on the edge of melodrama, but these moments threaten to sink matters fast.

They don’t, ultimately, but they pave the way for a too conventional coda.

“The Drama” offer a bracing look at marriage, commitment and honesty, a tale that works best when the lovers  are interacting with their closest chums. Best friend Rachel (Alana Haim) proves the most incendiary figure, judging Emma’s revelation more harshly than anyone, including Charlie.

Her provocative take feels a tad histrionic, something writer/director Kristoffer Borgli (“Dream Scenario“) uses to his narrative advantage. We’ll swallow plenty in “The Drama,” but when the heartstrings are plucked too hard, the film’s impressive facade falters.

We’re still committed to “The Drama,” reservations and all.

HiT or Miss: “The Drama” hangs on a stark revelation, spinning into a devious tale of love, commitment and neon red warning signs.

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