Toy Robot continues soaring through its first year with the Wesley Snipes thriller Passenger 57 (1992). A hit upon release, this in-the-sky actioner comes geared up with a fresh 4K restoration and a new interview with writer Stewart Raffill.
This 4K/Blu-ray combo is available for pre-order from MVD.
Passenger 57 is a 1952 crime picture masquerading as a 1992 high-octane action film. One of the most old-fashioned hits of the early nineties, Passenger 57 still feels very much out of its time. Despite the best efforts of composer Stanley Clarke to nail this down to 1992, everything else about Passenger 57 feels like a throwback to classic B-Hollywood cinema.
American actor turned director Kevin Hooks had just finished up his cult-hit Strictly Business when Passenger 57 hit his desk. Mostly working in television before and since, Hooks remains far and away best known big-screen-wise for Passenger 57. His work behind the camera is more than adequate, and plays in well with the film’s old-fashioned nature.
Running just over 80 minutes, Passenger 57 is all meat and potatoes. Stewart Raffill’s original story, though, was a much more complicated affair, with political leanings and a much more serious tone. As he relates in the interview on Arrow’s disc, by the time Warner Brothers got through with his story it was barely recognizable.
The final script of Passenger 57 is credited to Dan Gordon
and David Loughery. It is as basic as it gets, but that works to Passenger 57’s credit. Despite the original story’s more expansive ideas, Warner Brothers decided all they wanted this to be was a mindless popcorn flick, and that is what they delivered with Passenger 57.
The only real surprising thing about Passenger 57 is how much of it takes place off the plane. Considering its central plot about a hijacked plane, the production’s willingness to land is bizarre. Thankfully, star Wesley Snipes has as much charisma in an airport as he does on a plane, and his performance is still the best part of Passenger 57 in my eyes. It is easy to see this as a Bogart vehicle from the early fifties, and Snipes steps into the spot with a surprising amount of gentle style.
Along with Snipes, the most memorable actor in Passenger 57 is a young Elizabeth Hurley, playing one of the hijackers’ collaborators. I believe this was Hurley’s first American film, and it is clear she is a star, although it took her nearly five more years before she’d break through with her unforgettable turn in Austin Powers (1997).
Passenger 57 is what it is, and it never aims to be anything else. For most critics, it wasn’t enough, but audiences certainly ate this up back in ’92. Debuting at number one, Passenger 57 was a big hit, and it made Wesley Snipes the big star he deserved to be. The film continued to do well on home video, and it has remained a minor American action staple.
Toy Robot’s 4K looks and sounds incredible. I cranked this thing up, and it felt like I was seeing it again in theaters like so many years ago. Arriving with an obi-strip, slip-cover and post-cards, this edition of Passenger 57 will please fans, although the lack of extras is surprising. The only supplement, outside of the film’s trailer, is that writer’s interview. Thankfully, this 11-minute chat is actually quite fascinating, including stories about everything from working with Elvis Presley to battling Warner Brothers.
Passenger 57 was fun back in 1992, and it is still fun in 2026. Mostly surviving thanks to Wesley Snipes’ charismatic performance, Passenger 57 isn’t among the best films of 1992, but it never tries to be, and that remains refreshing.
-Jeremy Richey, October 2026-
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