‘The Passenger’ Review: A Low-Key But Sneakily Effective Blumhouse Thrill Ride

variety.com:

Michael Nordine author There’s more than one way to be a passenger in life, not all of which involve vehicles. That’s certainly the case when it comes to the protagonist in Carter Smith’s propulsive new thriller, which functions like a therapy session on wheels between a murderous shrink and an unwilling patient.

If the two of them don’t exactly paint the town red during their would-be getaway, it’s only because their journey was precipitated by a shocking act of violence in their place of business and they now have to keep a low profile. “The Passenger” does as well, and proves sneakily effective with its low-key approach to several kinds of violence.Before anything overt occurs, the film unsettles us via the color scheme of the grimy fast-food joint where Bradley (Johnny Berchtold) works: a mix of unappetizing yellow, orange, and brown that looks to have been designed at the height of the ‘70s and never updated in the decades since.

He’s a lock for employee of the month, not that that’s saying much: Benson (Kyle Gallner of last year’s surprise hit “Smile”) mostly keeps to himself, while Chris (Matthew Laureano) is a bully more interested in coworker Jess (Jordan Sherley) than he is in collecting a paycheck.

To call it a toxic work environment would be an understatement, especially after a triple murder results in Bradley hitting the road as Benson’s passenger/hostage.