Movie Type: Crime Thriller, Post-Noir (Modern Noir)
Themes: One Last Heist, Bank Robbery
Main Cast: Ryan O'Neal, Bruce Dern, Isabelle Adjani, Ronee Blakely, Matt Clark
Release Year: 1978
Country: US
Run Time: 91 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Walter Hill's stripped down neo-noir features a protagonist who makes the laconic boxer of the director's similar Hard Times (1974) seem logorrheic by comparison. The film's tone is set in the opening scene as the Driver (Ryan O'Neal) gloms a V-8 sedan and proceeds to whip through claustrophobic parking garages, narrow alleyways, and sundry other high-risk macadam, as he demonstrates why he's known as the best getaway driver in the business to some potential clients, before giving his vehicle a proper burial. Such plot as there is in this highly abstract film concerns the Driver's cat and mouse game with the Detective (Bruce Dern), an employee of the constabulary of an unnamed city, intent on his arrest. A mysterious and beautiful woman, the Player (Isabelle Adjani), soon appears on the Driver's radar, a perfect match for his taciturnity. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
Review
Walter Hill has always used myth and archetype as the backbone of his films but in this beautifully made existential noir he takes this approach as far as he ever has, eliminating any hint of psychology or sociology, even denying the characters any names. In a film that seems an odd marriage of Bresson and Hemingway, the blank-faced O'Neal speaks barely more than 300 words throughout, his character manifest in his grace and economy of action. Lest this sound too much like an exercise in philosophical bombast, it's worth mentioning that the film's only apparent raison d'être is three of the most spectacular car chase sequences ever committed to celluloid. Shot by the legendary Phillip Lathrop, who also gave the similarly hard-edged Point Blank (1967) and Hard Times (1974) much of their visual allure, the film's sleek, dark-toned, wide-screen compositions resonate powerfully, particularly the scenes in L.A.'s Union Station. As the cop on a futile quest to collar the superhuman wheelman, Dern does a fine job in the film's only actable part. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
Felice Orlandi - Gold Plainclothesman; Joseph Walsh - Glasses; Rudy Ramos - Teeth; Denny Macko - Exchange Man; Frank Bruno - The Kid; Will Walker - Fingers; Richard Carey - Floorman; Fidel Corona - Card Player; Nick Dimitri - Blue Mask; Victor Gilmour - Boardman; Peter Jason - Commuter; Tara King - Frizzy; Sandy Wyeth - Split; James Caan; Bob Minor - Green Mask; Bill McConnell - Passenger; Allan Graf - Uniformed Cop; Angelo Lamonea
Credit
David M. Haber - Art Director, Frank Marshall - Associate Producer, Mike Fenton - Casting, Jane Feinberg - Casting, Jennifer Parsons - Costume Designer, Jack Bear - Costume Designer, Pat Kehoe - First Assistant Director, Walter Hill - Director, Tina Hirsch - Editor, Robert Lambert - Editor, Michael Small - Composer (Music Score), Gary D. Liddiard - Makeup, Harry Horner - Production Designer, Philip H. Lathrop - Cinematographer, Russ Saunders - Production Manager, Lawrence Gordon - Producer, Frank Marshall - Producer, Darrell Silvera - Set Designer, Charles Spurgeon - Special Effects, Richard Wagner - Sound/Sound Designer, Everett Creach - Stunts, Everett Creach - Stunts Coordinator, Walter Hill - Screenwriter
The Driver (Ryan O'Neal) is a professional who steals cars to drive as getaway vehicles for big-time robberies. Hot on The Driver's trail is The Detective (Bruce Dern), a conceited cop who refers to The Driver as "the cowboy who's never been caught" and is willing to go to any length to bring him down. The Detective becomes so obsessed that he sets up a bank job in order to entice — trap, and ultimately arrest — The Driver. But will it succeed?
Reception
Saying it's "probably advisable for film noir aficionados only," film critic Duncan Shepherd of the San Diego Reader praised the film highly (awarding it the highest 5-star rating). "The whole show, in fact, is something like a coded message passed from the moviemaker to the devotees of the genre, in full view of, but beyond the full understanding of, the rest of the audience," according to Shepherd.[1]
Trivia
Ryan O'Neal's character only says 350 words in the entire movie.
Not one character has a name in this movie, and are all addressed by their occupation e.g. "the Driver".
The original orange Mercedes which was destroyed in the multi-story carpark scene was auctioned off, in its destroyed state, to independent British movie car collector, Ian Jackson. The price of the final bid is unknown but is believed to be between £8,000,000 and £9,000,000.[citation needed]
The film was originally intended to be over two hours long. For years even the VHS tapes had said the length was over two hours, although it was always 90 minutes on the tapes, on television, and now on DVD. Only once was the longer version shown, in a theater in Hollywood by director Walter Hill. This director's cut involved more chase scenes and character development.
The 1998 video game Driver was heavily influenced by the movie. Most notably the scene in the movie in which the Driver proves his skills to some gangsters in a parking garage is copied for the first level of the game. They even went as far as to use the car crash sounds used in the movie.
