Film Review
A mostly routine and uneven thriller,
Les
Passagers would be easily forgettable were it not for its
remarkable set-piece involving a determined fight-to-the-death between
an ordinary car and a sinister black van on the perilous mountain roads
between Italy and the south of France. Who cares of it's a
blatant rip-off of Steven Spielberg's
Duel (1971)? With a flair
and commitment that is rarely glimpsed in any of his other films,
director Serge Leroy choreographs one of the most stunning sequences of
any French thriller of this period - ten minutes of vertiginous
nail-biting suspense that might well put you off driving for life, or
at least give you a phobia of black vans.
Apart from this one flourish of inspired genius,
Les Passagers is pretty
undistinguished and for the most part it is as flat and rudderless as
most of Leroy's other films. Bernard Fresson's mysterious,
wild eyed villain turns out to be just another muscle-headed
psychopath; Mireille Darc has very little to do other than look pretty
and scared, which she does admirably; and Adolfo Celi, an Italian actor
used to playing villains, looks more like a clueless narcoleptic than a
police inspector. Jean-Louis Trintignant is the actor who is
best-served by Christopher Frank's script, his scenes with child actor
Richard Constantini having an authenticity which helps to keep the
narrative focussed during its long, winding trek down the motorways of
Italy and France. Where the film is weakest is its far from
convincing account of a police investigation - essentially the police
are all portrayed as fumbling idiots, just to emphasise the fact that
the protagonists are fighting a lone battle. In common with so
many French thrillers of the 1970s,
Les
Passagers now appears dated and formulaic, but its one stand-out
sequence, which Spielberg might even be pleased to claim as his own,
should ensure that it will not be forgotten.
© James Travers, Willems Henri 2014
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Film Synopsis
Whilst his new wife Nicole is busy redecorating their Paris apartment,
Alex Moineau sets out for Rome to collect her 11-year-old son Marc at
his school. The youngster is keen to find out more about his
stepfather and the long journey back home will give them ample
opportunity to get to know one another. Marc suddenly notices
that they are being trailed by a small van and it soon becomes evident
that they are being followed. When the van follows Alex's car
into a motorway service station it attracts the attention of two
policemen, who are shot dead by the van's driver. Completely
unaware of this sinister development, Alex and Marc check into a hotel
where they intend to spend the night. Later that evening, Alex is
assaulted by an unknown assailant armed with an axe. He manages
to chase his attacker away and resumes his journey the next
morning. Once over the border, the chase is resumed. This
time, the intent of the van's driver is quite evident. He intends
to drive Alex's car into a ravine...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.