Rate The Last Movie You Saw

You probably won't be surprised that I'm much more in cricket's camp than yours Daniel! Though I wasn't as negative with the score. Think I'd have gone about . It's not so much that I hated or disliked it, I was just bemused by it. I'm sure that Jim Jarmusch had a reason behind everything in the movie, I just wasn't that clued in to what it was. And when you're not exactly sure what a scene or moment is trying to say then it has a tendency to come off like the film is being quirky just for the sake of being quirky.

When just one gif isn't enough to sum up your bafflement -

JayDee's Movie Musings (Reviews - Frailty / Total Recall / Lone Ranger / Nightcrawler / Whiplash / Imitation Game / Birdman / Avengers: Age of Ultron / Mad Max: Fury Road)

The Passenger
(Michelangelo Antonioni, 1975)



I admire verbose writers like Faulkner and Cormac McCarthy, whose sentences tend to go on and on and on (and then on and on some more), but sometimes I prefer to read a writer like Hemingway, with his less-is-more philosophy, who practices a spare, sparse style devoid of bells and whistles. Antonioni takes the same minimalistic approach. This script, in the hands of a different director, would've played like a fast-paced thriller, but Antonioni slows it down. He allows each scene to breathe, emphasizing silence and drawing attention to the wide-open spaces. As a result, this would-be thriller turns into something deeper and more existential.

I think many of us, myself included, occasionally grow bored with the day-to-day monotony of our lives. So what would it be like to leave everything behind--- all of our demands and responsibilities and baggage--- and swap lives with someone else? Instead of being the driver of your own life, you can let go of the wheel and become a passenger in the life of someone else. Imagine the sense of freedom and re-birth and the endless possibilities that open up in front of you. No more nine-to-five. No more nagging wife. No more bills to pay. Every day becomes an adventure. You can fly to another part of the world or fall in love again or do whatever you want.

Jack Nicholson's character seizes such an opportunity when a man bearing a slight resemblance to him dies in an adjacent hotel room. Unfortunately for Nicholson, however, the man is a gunrunner for rebels in a nearby civil war. What should be an open door to a life full of new and exciting possibilities instead turns into a dangerous race for survival. Nicholson gives an excellent, understated performance (no 'crazy eyebrows' here), which isn't surprising, since this film was released during his unheralded string of hot-streak performances in the 70's. Some scenes--- particularly the more typical action-oriented scenes--- feel a bit out of place in the picture, probably due to the differences in tone between the script and Antonioni's approach to the material.

No doubt that this is quality film-making, however; the kind of film that deserves and invites multiple viewings. Modern audiences might struggle with the pace, and, honestly, I wish I'd liked the movie more myself. I can't see myself ever loving this movie, but I definitely think my rating will increase after a re-watch. I'm tempted to increase my rating just because of the seven-minute tracking shot near the end of the film, which is easily one of the most beautifully-constructed and technically-proficient scenes I've ever seen. This "forgotten" film deserves a wider audience, even if it's just for that one scene alone.

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