The Driver (1978)

Director:

Walter Hill

Writer:

Walter Hill (written by)

Release Date:

8 June 1978 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

He'll get you away faster than anyone else on wheels.

Plot:

"The Driver" is specialist in a rare business: he drives getaway cars in robberies. His exceptional talent prevented him from being caught yet...

Plot Keywords:

Driver | Detective | Police | Man With No Name | Existentialism

Cast

Ryan O'Neal	...	The Driver
Bruce Dern	...	The Detective
Isabelle Adjani	...	The Player
Ronee Blakley	...	The Connection
Matt Clark	...	Red Plainclothesman
Felice Orlandi	...	Gold Plainclothesman
Joseph Walsh	...	Glasses
Rudy Ramos	...	Teeth
Denny Macko	...	Exchange Man
Frank Bruno	...	The Kid
Will Walker	...	Fingers
Sandy Brown Wyeth	...	Split
Tara King	...	Frizzy
Richard Carey	...	Floorman
Fidel Corona	...	Card Player
Victor Gilmour	...	Boardman
Nick Dimitri	...	Blue Mask
Bob Minor	...	Green Mask
Angelo Lamonea	...	Patron
Patrick Burns	...	Patron
Karen Kleiman	...	Patron
Thomas Myers	...	Passenger
Bill McConnell	...	Passenger
Peter Jason	...	Commuter
William Hasley	...	Commuter
Allan Graf	...	Uniformed Cop

Directed by
Walter Hill

Writing credits
Walter Hill		(written by)

Produced by
Lawrence Gordon	....	producer
Frank Marshall	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Michael Small

Cinematography by
Philip H. Lathrop		(as Philip Lathrop)

Film Editing by
Tina Hirsch
Robert K. Lambert

Casting by
Jane Feinberg
Mike Fenton

Production Design by
Harry Horner

Art Direction by
David M. Haber		(as David Haber)

Set Decoration by
Darrell Silvera

Costume Design by
Jack Bear
Robert Cornwall
Jennifer L. Parsons

Makeup Department
Gary Liddiard	....	makeup artist
Shirley Padgett	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Russell Saunders	....	production manager (as Russ Saunders)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lisa Hallas	....	second assistant director
Pat Kehoe	....	assistant director
Jonathan Giles Zimmerman	....	trainee assistant director (as Jonathan Zimmerman)

Sound Department
William Hartman	....	sound effects editor
Michael Hilkene	....	sound effects editor (as Mike Hilkene)
John Kline	....	sound effects editor
Theodore Soderberg	....	sound re-recording mixer
Richard Sperber	....	sound effects editor
Richard Wagner	....	production sound mixer
Paul Wells	....	sound re-recording mixer
Douglas O. Williams	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Douglas Williams)
Donald C. Rogers	....	technical director of sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Charles Spurgeon	....	special effects

Stunts
Mickey Alzola	....	stunts
William H. Burton	....	stunts (as Bill Burton)
Diane Carter	....	stunts
Bobby Clark	....	stunts
Everett Creach	....	stunt coordinator
Chris Howell	....	stunts
Gene McLaughlin	....	stunts
Gerald L. Ray	....	stunts
Robert Sizer	....	stunts (as Bob Sizer)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bill Johnson	....	camera operator
Wilbur Kinnett	....	gaffer
Carl Manoogian	....	key grip
Steve Yaconelli	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Jere Huggins	....	assistant editor
Ron Smith	....	assistant editor

Music Department
John R. Harris	....	music editor
Jack Hayes	....	orchestrator
Kenneth Wannberg	....	music editor

Transportation Department
William Hogue	....	driver
James Nordberg	....	driver

Other crew
Don Kruger	....	location manager
Cassandra Oliva	....	script supervisor
B.J. Smith	....	set paramedic (uncredited)

Production Companies

• EMI Films
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1980) (USA) (TV)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• Cannon Screen Entertainment (198?) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• VTI Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• DeLuxe Laboratories  color by (as DeLuxe)
• Intrada  score album released by (limited edition)

Also Known As:

Driver (UK) (DVD title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2006) | Netherlands:12 | UK:A (original rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

EMI Films

Trivia:

This film was originally written for Steve McQueen.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When The Driver elegantly destroys the Mercedes, there is a quick shot where the car hits a wall head-on, then reverses away. The stunt driver is visible as his blond wig almost falls off.

Quotes:

The Detective: Well, well, here's my new man. How do you like it here so far?
Red Plainclothesman: Just great.
The Detective: Let's get something straight right now. I don't like new men. They make mistakes.
Red Plainclothesman: Well, I haven't made any yet.
The Detective: Yeah, yeah. You're new. That's a mistake. And you talk too much... that's a mistake. That's the first thing you can learn. When you're talking, you're not thinking. Never talk... unless you have to.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Il solitario (2008)

A Real High Point In Walter Hill's Career!

THE DRIVER (4+ outta 5 stars) Classic, no-nonsense, action-chase movie about a professional getaway driver (Ryan O'Neal) and the obsessed cop (Bruce Dern) who is determined to see him behind bars. Terrific chase scenes highlight this unjustly-neglected modern day film noir. No one plays nutty, obsessed characters quite like Bruce Dern. Ryan O'Neal as the bad guy/hero shows even less emotion than he did in Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon"... he's often accused of non-acting but I think his low-key, taciturn performance here is mesmerizing. He may as well be driving down to the corner store for a carton of milk rather than eluding a dozen speeding police cars. Isabelle Adjani doesn't really have much to do in this movie but look beautiful... but I guess that's enough. There is not a lot of dialogue and not a lot of character development. The characters in this movie aren't even given names! They are merely listed as The Driver, The Detective, The Player, The Connection, etc. This is a real high point in the career of director Walter Hill. He may have had more financial success with "The Warriors" and "48 Hours" but I think this is his best, most fully realized action movie.