In 1992, Payne was cast in his best-known role, opposite Wesley Snipes, as a "notorious terrorist and hijacker", with a steely, demonic nerve, named Charles Rane, in "Passenger 57". Marcus Trower of "Empire" stated that Payne was "a brilliantly disconcerting madman. With his flowing blond Jesus locks, armour-piercing stare and casual sadism, he makes Hannibal Lecter look like a social worker – and like Anthony Hopkins' serial killer, part of the man's menace is in the apparent contradiction between his articulate, well-spoken English and his off-hand brutality." The "Radio Times" stated that Payne and Snipes both gave "charismatic turns" in the film. "The New York Times" stated that Payne brought a 'tongue-in-cheek humor to the psychopathic fiend'. A reviewer for "People" magazine stated that "Bruce Payne steals the plane—and the movie". In an article for the "Waterloo Region Record", Jamie Portman described Payne as a "suave and cultivated English actor" playing "a suave and cultivated killer named Charles Rane" and suggested that a "key reason director Kevin Hooks chose him for the role was that he wanted a villain with as much magnetism as the hero". Payne was described as "icily perfect as the villainous Rane" in the Worcester "Telegram & Gazette". Julius Marshall stated that Payne was "ideal for his role: charming, dangerous – the kind of evil genius you love to hate". The "Star Tribune" stated that 'Bruce Payne makes a splendid psychopath, consistently stealing scenes from the likes of Wesley Snipes and Elizabeth Hurley throughout "Passenger 57"'.