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Dom Robinson reviews
DNC Entertainment
- Cert:
- Cat.no: DNC1019
- Running time: 91 minutes
- Year: 2007
- Released: October 2008
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Chapters: 8 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Dolby Surround)
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: None
- Widescreen: 1.78:1 (16:9)
- 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £15.99
- Extras: Trailer
- Vote and comment on this film:
Director:
- Nick Heller
(The Passage, Star Crossed)
Producer:
- Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola, Lydia Dean Pilcher and Scott Rudin
Screenplay:
- Neil Jackson (The Passage, Star Crossed)
Cast :
- Luke: Stephen Dorff
Adam: Neil Jackson
Zahra: Sarai Givaty
Hossef: Khalid Benchegra
Mohammed: Abdel Ghani Benizza
Anya: Hayat Haigoune
Chris: Neil Fluellen
The Passageis a dark and mysterious thriller set in Morocco where Luke (Stephen Dorff, right) has been living for the past 3 monthsand doesn’t really want to return home.
He’s recently been joined by an old mate, Adam (Neil Jackson, who also co-wrote the screenplay) but hasn’t had a chanceto catch up as Adam’s always out partying whereas Luke wants to see the sights which is what they were meant to do togetherfirst, according to him.
One night, they go their separate ways and Luke gets chatting to Zahra (the stunning Sarai Givaty who looks like ayoung Rosanna Arquette but as a brunette) after she approaches him while they’re both watching a street story teller tellinglegends in return for some money. Soon after, there’s an altercation with some bad guys in a back street with Luke makinga run for it after Zahra disappears but once they meet up again and stick to more public spaces, she invites him to come upto the Atlas mountains the next day where where it has the best views and also suggests his friend comes too, but Adam canprovide his own entertainment and can see that these two would rather be alone (aww… holiday romance!)
However, after not getting a room at the local hotel for the night, they stay the night in a small house thanks to a localinnkeeper (no, she’s not about to give birth to Jesus without having sex first!) and after getting some kip, Luke finds along passageway from the bathroom that leads to… well, you’ll have to watch for yourself but in a dark scene that’s lit onlyby a candle and the flash of his camera (one that takes film, not a digital one, as Dorff reportedly collects vintage cameras -trivia fans!), you almost wonder whether he’s heading for Narnia!
It’s bloody well lit – or not, as the case may be, for such an intentionally dark scene and it keeps you as intrigued as thecharacters in the film, and for a first time writer (Neil Jackson) and director (Mark Heller) they’ve done anexcellent job of making a cracking thriller that doesn’t rely on a high budget or tons of CGI, and with a fantastic castthat is two parts little known and one part, with Dorff, well known but is someone who doesn’t seem to have hit the A-listfor some time which is a shame as they all prove their acting mettle here with great aplomb.
There were elements that reminded me of another film which I won’t mention for fear of giving a spoiler, but rest assuredthis is a mystery that pays off right until the end credits start rolling. And, as such, I am looking forward to seeing Jacksonand Heller’s latest creation, Star Crossed, which has yet to get a release in the UK.
A couple of brief asides. The IMDB lists Dorff’s height as 5’7 and Sarai’s as 5’7с so she’s clearly telling porkiesas she’s shorter than him in the film. Also, there is a picture of Sarai on IMDB from the film, but the alternative I found(bottom-right) is far nicer 😉
The film is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic and looks fantastically detailed throughout except for a slight problem with thepicture being very grainy early on, but this soon clears up as soon as the opening credits are out of the way and we’re infor a treat of the lush Moroccan landscape as Luke and Adam take a tour of the location.
The sound is in Dolby Surround only,which is a shame as a DD5.1 or DTS soundtrack would’ve been most welcome on such a film and I’m surprised this is still anomission ten years after DVDs were first released (11, if you’re counting from when they debuted in the US). While most of thetime it’s fine, it’s a shame there are no subtitles as Dorff is often quietly spoken while Sarai’s accent is a bit hard towork out sometimes and some lines require a couple of replays to catch everything she says.
The main menu is silent and static with pictures of the three leads and DNC need a lessson in chaptering because there areonly a mere 8 to stretch across the 91-minute running time which is woeful. I always go by a rule of thumb of at least oneevery five minutes. It’s not as if distributors have to pay for every one they insert(!)
There’s a lack of extras too – just a trailer (1:57, letterboxed 16:9) and I seriously recommend you do NOT watch it priorto the film itself as it gives away so many of the key moments (why do some distributors do this when they’ve got such agreat product on their hands?).
Still, despite my reservations re: the sound and extras, this is an absolute hidden gem. Get it now!
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
OVERALL
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.