The Passenger

Awful on every level; story line, dialogue, acting, casting....

Quite interesting but some really silly and unbelievable bits.

A relatively good thriller, the suspense was not killing me but I did stay on board and followed it thru. What exasperated me, to be franc, was the character of the lead female detective who is totally incoherent for a cop. I really thought portraying the lead woman as a really damaged, unstable woman did not make the story stronger. I found it hard to believe in a trained detective that would disregard her skills and get subdued by her emotions so that her investigation would always end up one step behind. I guess now I've been used to #nordicnoir where female characters are more interesting, complex and less "helpless that needs saving", I'm having a hard time watching and caring for female roles who fall back on the old stereotypes.

A huge disappointment particularly given Anglade appearing in the lead male role. Given his exemplary track record I was expecting great things but this is one of the poorest French series I've ever watched. Most of the plot and scenes stretch credibility to the absolute limits including several miraculous escapes for the 2 leads from supposed professional assassins firing a fusillade of bullets from heavy weapons. The operation and behaviour of the French police is also laughable.....they come across as lazy incompetent clowns. One to be avoided.

At the outset, this seemed like it might be a thoughtful psychological murder mystery, but it quickly degenerated into a fast-paced action film, with an assassination, SWAT team assault, shootout in a warehouse, or narrow escape in almost every scene. Lots of cliches--omniscient villains, a cop who won't give up despite being held back by her superiors, a genius forensic analyst in the lab. Alas, it all goes too far, and even a psychological thriller shouldn't have this many mental health clinics and disturbed people harboring deep secrets. It's really excessive. Anyone relying on this movie would think that the nation of France consists mainly of leafy retreats for the mentally enfeebled.

I don't regret watching, but perhaps it's just as well that there isn't a season 2.