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The Driver [1978]


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Quick Reviews!
Review date: 2007-10-01 Rating: 8 out of 10

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Before Hill hit the big time with The Warriors and Southern Comfort, he made what still stands today as one of the great 'car chase' movies. Not only is it an excuse to show off some skillful stunt driving, but it is an enticing blend of crime, noir, and action with a bleak tone and some excellent dialogue. Featuring strong performances from Bruce Dern and Ryan O'Neil, The Driver has become a forgotten cult classic.

O'Neil stars as a getaway driver for robbers, mostly inept robbers. In the style of a hit-man they must find a way to contact him, and once the the job is done he gets his money and vanishes. He is at the top of his game, and no matter how many cops they send after him, he always manages to get away thanks to his driving. A local Detective played by Dern decides to make it his top priority to catch the Driver, and will use anyone to find him, do anything to catch him. Dern hires a bunch of criminals and orders them to contact the Driver and involve him in a false heist, so that the Detective will catch him. The Driver is not so dumb though, is cool and tough, and realises there is something odd going on. Trashing the car of the robbers who want him, he turns down the job. He soon realises the cop is on his tail. O'Neil gets the help of the cold, emotionless Player (Adjani) to fool the Detective, and they set up a plan to get away with a briefcase full of money. However, the Detective is also close behind them.

This has some of the best filmed, most exciting and raw car-chases ever filmed. Everything is done simply, there are no jumps between skyscrapers, but it is done with intensity and realism. O'Neil is perfect in the role, speaking only when necessary and everything he says sounds cool. Dern is also strong as the Detective who grows increasingly frantic and abuses his power. Adjani is effectively distant adding to the tone of detachment and coldness. We don't get close to any character, we wouldn't want to and that is not the point. We know what they are, what they do, and watch them do it. No character is named or given any sort of background. The bleak surroundings and grim cityscapes all add to the noir and empty feeling, which may mean that some people will not enjoy it. This is not meant to be a cosy film though, and has a suitably ambiguous ending. Also look out for Ronee Blakely, Nancy's mother from Elm Street Pt 1, as The Connection. An underrated chase and crime movie. No extra features on the disc though.

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Reviews


A classic car chase masterpiece!
Review date: 2007-02-21 Rating: 8 out of 10

The Driver (1978) by Walter Hill is the last great car-chase movie of the 1970s. Following on from such iconic movies as Bullitt (1968) & The French Connection (1971) as well as lesser-known offerings like Vanishing Point (1971)& The Seven-Ups (1973), The Driver is a worthy successor which is just as good as any of them.
The story concerns a supremely talented getaway driver (Ryan O' Neal) who plies his trade in night- time Los Angeles while being pursed by a fanatical cop (Bruce Dern).

The Driver is a highly stylised film with very little characterisation, no names for the cast - merely descriptions of what they do; the driver, the cop, the player etc. The dialogue is sparse, the acting restrained (even Bruce Dern!) and the music pared down; all of which emphasises the drama, tension and visceral excitement of the car chases.

Comparisons have been made between The Driver and Le Samourai (1967) by John-Pierre Melville, in which a stylish, taciturn assassin is brought down when he becomes aware of his own emotions. There is a similar line-up & alibi scene which Hill has clearly copied. Alain Delon's assassin is a stylish handsome loner with minimal life outside of his work; just like Ryan O'Neal in The Driver. For both Alan Delon and Ryan O'Neal meeting a woman changes everything, the influence of Le Samourai may have prompted Walter Hill to cast the French actress Isabella Adjani in the lead female role as the player.

The story is gripping, the minimalist style (which could be seen as pretentious or silly) really works and the direction and cinematography truly excellent. It's hard to believe this is only Hill's second movie. A minor quibble would be the reusing of two scenes from The Getaway (1972), whose screenplay was written by Hill himself. The first scene is when the cop pursues the exchange man and a suitcase aboard a train and the second is when the driver fast draw shoots an adversary; both very like Steve McQueen in The Getaway.

Whatever, The Driver is a b-movie classic which had clear influence on James Cameron (especially the night time car chase in The Terminator) and Michael Mann who has created stylised crime pictures with tight lipped male protagonists in Thief (1981) and Heat (1995). It is one of Walter Hill's best movies in a career that has taken in the blatantly commercial buddy movies of 48 Hours (1982) and Red Heat (1988) as well as stylised Sam Peckinpah homage's like The Long Riders (1980) and Last Man Standing (1998). It's also an opportunity to drool over classic 70's American muscle cars and should be included in the collection of any movie petrol head.

The DVD package is pretty basic; 16:9 aspect ratio, mono sound and no extras. The picture quality is more akin to a well preserved video than a digital mastering with some scratches and dirt still quite evident. Arguably this bare bones presentation is kind of fitting considering the minimalist nature of The Driver but a digital remastering to improve the picture quality and a 5.1 audio track would be nice to really enjoy the roar of the engines. Perhaps a Special Edition in a year or two...?

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Isabelle Adjani
Bruce Dern
Ronee Blakley
Ryan O'Neal

Creators:
Ryan O'Neal (Primary Contributor)
Bruce Dern (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Optimum Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Optimum Home Entertainment
EAN: 5060034576990
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL,
Release date: 2006-10-23
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 87 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1978
Language: English (Original Language)

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