Carter Smith’s latest feature is arguably his most accomplished.
While The Ruins often receives a lot of praise, The Passenger seems like a culmination of his talents coupled with a superb central performance by Kyle Gallner.
Gallner is fast becoming a genre mainstay with appearances in Scream 2022 and the excellent Smile.
Here he takes centre stage as Benson alongside Johnny Berchtold, as a restaurant worker who snaps and takes Berchtold’s Randolph along for a ride from hell.
Gallner’s intensity coupled with the timid nature of Berchtold’s character makes for an interesting odd-couple definitely with some queer coding.
Smith knows how to create tension, and every time Benson is on screen you’re never quite sure what he’s gonna do. The Passenger is definitely a different kind of nerve shredder.
At a shade over 90 minutes, it doesn’t outstay its welcome and ends on a bizarre note, which felt like a side tangent to Stockholm Syndrome.
The Passenger is one journey definitely worth taking.
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