The Driver
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page.(March 2008) Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. |
| The Driver | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Walter Hill |
| Produced by | Lawrence Gordon |
| Written by | Walter Hill |
| Starring | Ryan O'Neal Bruce Dern Isabelle Adjani Ronee Blakley |
| Music by | Michael Small |
| Cinematography | Philip H. Lathrop |
| Editing by | Tina Hirsch Robert K. Lambert |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox (North America) EMI Films (International) |
| Release date(s) | July 10, 1978 |
| Running time | 91 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Driver is a 1978 crime film directed by Walter Hill and starring Ryan O'Neal, Bruce Dern, and Isabelle Adjani. The film is notable for its impressive car chases and no frills style of filmmaking.
Contents |
[edit] Tagline
- To break the Driver, the Cop was willing to break the law.
[edit] Plot
The Driver (O’Neal) is a professional who steals cars to drive as getaway vehicles for big-time robberies. Hot on the Driver's trail is a policeman (Dern), who has nicknamed the Driver "Cowboy" and is determined to bring him down. “I’m gonna catch the cowboy that’s never been caught,” he tells The Driver early on. The Detective becomes so obsessed with defeating the Driver, that he himself sets up a bank job in order to entice — trap, and ultimately arrest — the Driver. Yet the Detective's plan, on which he has put his reputation on the line, blows up in his face: both he and the Driver are set up and burned by an inconsequential player. The real crux of the story comes mid-film, when The Driver has a clear chance to walk away but elects to play The Cop's game - and teach him a lesson?
[edit] 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]
[edit] 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".
- This film was originally written for Steve McQueen.
- The original orange Mercedes which was elegantly destroyed in the multi storey 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 those tapes, on cable TV, 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.
