The Passenger

---

Excuse me, ma'am,

can you tell me where...?

Do you speak English?

Which way?

Left. Left.

Stop. Stop.

What?

Where you going?

How long does it take

to get to this place?

Oh, 12 hours, more or less.

- What's there? Camp?

- Yes, a sort of military camp.

And...

- How many people?

- They will tell you when we get there.

Do they have arms?

They will tell you that too

when we get there, everything.

No. No.

Sh*t.

B*tch.

All right!

I don't care!

Water.

Yes, sir.

Come in.

Monsieur, your drink.

- Thank you. Put it on the table.

- Yes, sir.

- There's no soap.

- No, sir.

"No, sir."

Robertson?

Robertson?

- Hello.

- Yes. I want to inquire about flights.

There are only two flights in the week.

The next flight is in three days.

All right.

Come in.

Sorry to barge in like this.

I saw your lights on,

thought you might like a drink.

Oh, yes, come in.

I saw you on the plane.

I'll get some glasses.

My name's Robertson,

David Robertson.

First time I've been

in this part of Africa.

Do you know it well?

No,

I've never been up here before.

I'm a reporter.

My name's Locke.

- Not David Locke?

- Yes.

I've often read your pieces.

I'm very glad to meet you.

Are you down here for a story?

I'm putting some material together.

Pieces of film

for a documentary on Africa.

I'm finished now, thank God,

or almost finished.

What more do you need?

I'd like to make contact

with the guerrillas.

Everybody knows

they're fighting up here now.

They just arrested some farmers.

I suppose you heard about it.

Yes.

Anyway, I must've taken

a wrong trail.

There aren't very many

around here.

But you're not a journalist as well,

are you?

No, no. I'm here on business.

Business?

In a godforsaken place like this.

Well, I've been in so many places

the last few years...

... it doesn't make any

difference anymore.

Beautiful. Don't you think so?

Beautiful? I don't know.

So still.

A kind of...

...waiting.

You seem unusually poetic

for a businessman.

Do I?

Doesn't the desert

have the same affect on you?

No. I prefer men to landscapes.

There are men

who live in the desert.

Any family?

No, no family, no friends.

Just a few commitments,

including a bad heart.

I really shouldn't be drinking.

How about another one?

Why not?

And now what?

I'll continue on

around the world, I expect.

I'm a globetrotter.

I take life as it comes.

I suppose it's different for you,

isn't it?

Yeah, it's different.

Still, you must've been

around quite a bit yourself.

Yes, I suppose so.

How about Umbugbene?

I bet you've never been

to Umbugbene.

No.

Terrible place.

Airports, taxi, hotel.

They're all the same in the end.

I don't agree.

It's us who remain the same.

We translate every situation, every

experience into the same old codes.

We just condition ourselves.

We are creatures of habit,

that what you mean?

Something like that.

I mean, however hard you try...

... it stays so difficult to get away

from your own habits.

Even the way we talk

to these people...

... the way we treat them,

it's mistaken.

I mean, how do you get

their confidence? Do you know?

Well, it's like this, Mr. Locke...

... you work with words,

images, fragile things.

I come with merchandise,

concrete things.

They understand me straightaway.

Yes. Maybe.

So where are you going to next?

London, I think,

then Munich perhaps.

No real reason, just thought I'd

check up on some of the old places.

Haven't been in London

for three years now.

Yes, sir?

There's a gentleman in number 11.

He's dead.

- Mr. Locke?

- Robertson.

Oh, yes, of course. The man

in number 11...

...I believe is Mr...?

Locke. David Locke.

Yes, exactly.

He was a newspaperman, I think.

This is most unfortunate.

There is no doctor now,

and no flight for another three day.

What can we do with him,

Mr. Robertson?

I'll be outside.

Mr. Robertson.

- Mr. Robertson.

- Yes.

He's dead, Mr. Robertson.

What are you going to do?

We send body in the city.

The heat, you know.

We think have to get

done very quickly here.

- There are regulations. Is very sad.

- Yes.

Do you know if Mr. Locke

was a religious man?

We have a Catholic mission near here.

Do you think?

I'm sure that will do very well.

Yeah.

Library. David Locke?

Yep. Okay.

Martin, I think you probably knew

David better than any of us here.

In fact, I think he was in Africa

making a television film for you.

That's right, yes.

But I feel I must begin

by saying...

... how terribly upset I was

by the news of his death.

It was so unexpected.

He was still very young.

If you were asked to sum up...

... what it was that made David

such a good journalist...

... what would you say?

First, I suppose it was

his background.

Being British but educated

in America gave him...

...a different perspective.

A kind of detachment.

And then he had

this great talent for observation.

- Going on a holiday?

- Sort of.

- Where do you want to leave the car?

- I don't know.

- Where are you going?

- I haven't made up my mind.

Here's a list of our offices.

Have a look in it.

Yugoslavia. I'll go to Yugoslavia.

- Dubrovnik?

- Yes. Dubrovnik. That's nice.

- How long for?

- For the rest of my life.

Why don't you buy a new car?

Thank you.

Here you are.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

Mr. Locke.

David.

David.

What the hell

do you think you're doing?

- Are you crazy?

- Yes.

Rachel, where are you going?

Mr. Robertson?

Mr. Robertson.

Did something go wrong

at the airport?

We were expecting you

to contact us, sir.

Yes.

I'm afraid there was

a slight muddle.

Is it all right for us to talk now, then?

Talk?

I suppose so. Yes.

This is Mr. Achebe.

We are very grateful for your help,

Mr. Robertson.

You have taken

enormous risks for our sake.

Did you manage to get everything

we wanted?

Have you got the papers?

The papers? Oh, yes.

You better take a look at them

and let me know what you think.

Yes.

Oh, excellent. Excellent.

You got the FN rifles as well,

excellent.

A pity about the anti-aircraft guns.

Yes.

Well, that's very good.

Glad it's all there.

Sorry about the anti-aircraft guns.

I hope it won't be too much of...

...a drawback.

Oh, no, their planes aren't

very effective at the moment.

We evade them easily enough.

Our main problem

is the military assistance...

...the government

is getting from Europe.

Yes, well, it's not surprising.

Here's the first installment,

Mr. Robertson.

Don't you want to check it?

No. I'm sure it's all right.

The second installment will be paid

as agreed in Geneva.

You know the number.

And our next meeting will be in...

In Barcelona.

The arrangements for that

remain unchanged.

I have heard a lot about you,

Mr. Robertson.

I realize that you are not

like the others...

...that you believe in our fight.

This will be of great assistance

to our people.

Of course you realize the present

government has agents...

...who may try to interfere with you.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes