The Driver

source: The Driver

The Driver is written and directed by Walter Hill. It stars Ryan O'Neil, Bruce Dern, Isabelle Adjani and Ronee Blakley. Music is by Michael Small and cinematography by Phillip H. Lathrop. A determined cop pursues an enigmatic getaway driver through the crooked streets of Los Angeles It's most amusing to now be able to look back at some of the reviews for The Driver back on its initial release. Without wishing to sound like a smarty pants myself of course, but some of them simply didn't get it, they didn't understand that Ryan O'Neil's character was meant to be one note, unreadable and dissociated from society. There is a reason that the principal characters don't have names, they are simply known as The Driver, The Detective and The Player, the core emotional worth of these people is a key aspect to the film's strength. Where The Driver is emotionless and not for shaking, The Detective is a coiled spring waiting to explode, a law enforcer willing to do anything to capture his Moby Dick. Much of the plaudits that come the film's way tend to focus on the car action, which is perfectly understandable. The chase sequences are kinetic, the trial runs exhilarating, this is quite simply a fast car lovers dream as the stunt team lay fire to the streets of L.A. It's also an influential film into the bargain, however, this is not purely an exercise in action over substance. For sure the story line is simple, but the themes simmering away are anything but simple. The thin line between law and lawlessness is observed, between calm and chaos there is but a hair's breadth, the grey areas vivid in their textures. This is a cat and mouse thriller with a difference, even daring to risk the viewer's ire with a crafty and low-key finale. The script is in turns laconic and hard-boiled, the screenplay surprisingly convoluted in relation to how it all pans out. While the neo-noir vibe is further enhanced by Lathrop's photography as the streetscapes pulse with urban realism. The acting doesn't have to be top notch, the characters do not call for thesping of the method or board walking kind, they just need to get a handle on their respective traits that define them, and they do, perfectly so. A supremely cool movie, exciting and brawny as well, The Driver is a neo-noir gem. 9/10

Walter Hill's second directorial effort after his terrific debut feature "Hard Times" may very well be one of his best films ever, a tense, steely, tersely plotted and resolutely tough-minded crime thriller done in vintage gritty, amoral, staunchly sinewy and unsentimental existential noir style. The usually wanting Ryan O'Neal makes for a surprisingly sturdy and credible protagonist as the titular ace getaway driver, a laconic, audacious, always cool and in control crackerjack wheelman par excellence who's doggedly pursued by a brutish, browbeating, obsessively wacko and determined detective (the ever-manic Bruce Dern in first-rate fruitcake form). Dern tries to collar O'Neal in an elaborate bank robbery set-up, but seriously underestimates O'Neal's razor-sharp cunning and resourcefulness. Hill's tightly wound direction expertly pumps up the brooding, cold-as-ice atmosphere and makes every minute count: both story and characterizations are cut to the bone, the pace remains taut and fleet throughout, the spare, hard-edged, occasionally profane dialogue mines a fine line in hard-boiled reticence, the nervy cat-and-mouse game between Dern and O'Neal vividly reveals the rigid hierarchy which exists in both cop and criminal subcultures alike, and the justifiably lauded ultra-kinetic, heart-pounding, metal-mangling car chase sequences contain a raw, savage, lump-in-your-throat harrowing power that's undeniably arresting and exciting. Phillip Lathrop's shadowy cinematography and Michael Small's bluesy score add substantially to the overall hard-hitting no-nonsense tone. Dern and O'Neal are fantastic in the lead roles, with able supporting turns by Matt Clark as Dern's whiny, talkative, but more level-headed fussbudget new partner, the lovely Isabelle Adjani as a sweet young thing who gets caught up in the fracas, Ronee Blakely as a cagey underworld connection, and the ubiquitous Bob Minor as a stick-up man. Lean, mean and thoroughly gripping, with no sappy pathos or lame smartalecky humor to detract from the firmly rough-edged goings-on, this authentic no-fooling article truly deserves its significant cult status.

Those were The Driver's words after he take a crew of bank robbers for a test drive in their dodgy looking orange Mercedes and proceeds to trash it completely, knocking off both bumpers, tearing off a door, bumping both sides and flattening the roof. A classic scene and this is a good, late 70s action thriller from Walter Hill. It's film noir at it's best and it's pretty cool that every character doesn't have an actual name, we've got The Driver, The Detective, The Player and so on. Ryan O'Neal is cool without actually having to say very much and Bruce Dern is just Bruce Dern, wild eyed and crazy as the Detective determined to catch the Driver by using some strange policing. Isabelle Adjani is very quiet and a sexy foil for things to revolve around. The car chases and mash-ups are as good as some of the stuff used in Bullit, French Connection, The Seven-Ups and other top rate chase scenes. Dern is a highlight as he is bonkers as ever and Walter Hill does a great job in direction and keeping things nice and compact. Check it out!