Synopsis for
The Passenger (1975) More at IMDbPro »Professione: reporter (original title)

David Locke (Jack Nicholson) is a reporter sent to the African deserts to report on activities there and discovers the dead body of an acquaintance, a man named Robertson. Seeking escape from his mundane life Locke takes on the identity of Robertson discovering many peculiar secrets of the dead man, one of which is that he is taking large amounts of money for supplying illegal arms to African terrorists. Along the way Locke spots an attractive Girl (Maria Schneider) and strikes up a conversation with her. When Locke finds out that some of his old reporter friend Martin Knight (Ian Hendry) is looking for Robertson to interview him, Locke gets the Girl to help him escape and they run away together. As the reporters and Locke's wife close in with the Police, the man with the stolen identity realizes some serious facts about his life and its place in the world.