Drive Hard

"You didn't hire me, you kidnapped me." Peter Roberts (Jane) is a former race car driver who gave up his dream because his new wife didn't like it. He now spends his days giving driving lessons to teenagers. When Simon Keller (Cusack) shows up for a lesson Roberts isn't excited about the way he drives and takes the keys. When they stop at a bank so Keller can get money to pay he runs out with cops after him and tells Roberts to drive. Now Roberts is wanted has an accomplice but Keller says he will be able to make sure Roberts goes free but he has to help first. Going in I was thinking (probably like you) a movie with Cusack and Jane, woo hoo. Going off that expectation I was disappointed. The main problem with this movie is that is isn't consistent at all. Some parts are very exciting and entertaining while others are so slow moving I found my mind wandering. Surprisingly the best part of this movie is the dialog and interaction between Cusack and Jane. All of the action sequences are repetitive and generic. For a movie that talks about car racing there is really only one chase and it's not a very good one at all. There really isn't a whole lot else to say about this one. Overall, the reason to watch is the interaction between Cusack and Jane. It's actually almost better to just skip to those scenes and skip the rest of the movie. I was very disappointed with this. I give it a C.

Drive Hard is a small budget action thriller starring John Cusack & Thomas Jane. Jane stars as Peter Roberts, an ex-racer turned driving instructor who is kidnapped by Simon Keller played by Cusack and forced to drive him away from a bank robbery. In turn they are being pursued by the police (honest & corrupt), as well as mercenaries who work for the bank which is owned by a crime syndicate. While this sounds like an interesting premise for a movie, the end result is utterly forgettable. There are a few good points about this movie but they are few and far in between. One is the scenery of the Gold Coast of Australia where the movie takes place. Even though Cusack and Jane are decent actors they are let down by a very weak story and too many plot holes though. There are some funny moments, but the implausible moments and the flow of the story ruin what could have been a decent film. For example: Keller robs 9 million worth of bonds from a safe that looks like it belongs in someone's house, not a high class international bank. He also conveniently knows the combination to the safe. Then they escape with ease evading police cars and a helicopter. Keller then shoots a Jeep full of mercenaries with one bullet causing it to explode and tumble over. They then switch cars and go on a long drive making as many unnecessary stops as possible. Not exactly the actions of someone trying to make a quick getaway. Keller also promises Roberts that he will give him 3 million dollars and make it look like he was a kidnap victim so that he would not go to jail. At the same time he lets Roberts go into a gas station market as well as a bar unaccompanied. At one point they walk into a Wine Estate pretending they are guests who arrived early at a wedding that is supposed to take place there. Then they escape together from the owner who starts shooting at them. The kidnapped actually wrestles the owner to the ground and takes her gun away from her. So how exactly that makes him look like he has been kidnapped would be a very good question to ask. Roberts in turn has numerous chances to escape but obviously does not and a sort of camaraderie develops between the kidnapper and the kidnapped with a lot of needless dialogue. There are also back stories being told about the corrupt cops being investigated by the Federal Police and why exactly Keller decided to rob a mob-owned bank in the first place, as well as how Roberts has problems in his marriage. These side stories do not contribute much to the story or the film. Basically they are there to fill in some screen time. In the end there is a shoot out as one would expect and the ending is as clichéd as it can get. Another problem with this film is that it's starts of as more of a buddy comedy but turns into a shoot 'em up near the end. This might work for some movies but not this one. That's why I would rate this as a 4/10. Watchable if there is nothing better, but forgettable and not worth watching ever again.

In Australia, Simon Keller (John Cusack) hires Peter Roberts (Thomas Jane), who is a former professional racing driver, to act as the get-a-way driver while he robs a bank. Of course, Roberts has no idea what he is getting into. From the get-go, we see this is not a drama or even an action-hero movie. The acting and dialogues are so bad we see that something else is going on and decide this is a lame, lame comedy. We don't often see (read never) John Cusack in a comedy and watching this we can see why. But wait a minute something else is going on: it's supposed to be terrible or so we believe. That is the only explanation that makes sense. (Hmmmm……) Now, knowing this one can sit back and enjoy this, right? Wrong. It's still terrible. The acting and dialogues don' t change to anything better. It's embarrassing to admit we watched it all the way thru. True some bad movies become cult classics. I think we are safe to say the cults will stay away for fear of harming their reputations. Why, in Heaven's name, is this the way it is? No one knows. Suffice it to say there is something else going on. Keller surprises why he robbed the bank and we do learn more, but do we care? No. Still this doesn't help much because something else is going on. What that something is we cannot say. We are clueless. Even the car chases are not choreographed in a good way. The supporting cast don't any fare better and cannot save this. Something is really wrong here. However, after watching this we decide there was nothing else going on after all. We can only hope that Mr Cusack goes back to being a good dramatic actor. And the same for Thomas Jane. (who?) (1/10) Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes.

Firstly, the good: Cusack and Jane were excellent in this. Natural and witty. The premise is good, and the movie just about keeps you watching (though you're not sure why, it's probably the interaction between Cusack and Jane). The bad: Most of the other actors are awful. With the exception of the little girl (daughter), the lady staff-member (who 'loves' Jane), the old crazy lady and the crooked cop.... most others seem to be total amateurs (or not even actors but friends roped in). There is one good car chase sequence... the rest are crap (not that there are many). With the bikies is an especially stupid sequence. No amount of camera angles can save it.... hardly any tension or crashes at all... I guess they couldn't afford stunts. The script. Just. Not. Very. Good. Thank God Cusack and Jane were such good actors and so witty (probably mostly ad-lib), otherwise you wouldn't want to watch much of this. As it is, they are the reason I watched this to the end. The film just seems like a b-grade movie which they tried to make into a decent one with two great actors, but not even Cusack and Jane could rescue this.