IMDb user comments for
The Driver (1978) More at IMDbPro »

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 6:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Index

54 comments in total

---

25 out of 27 people found the following comment useful :-
No Names Please!, 4 November 2005

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

There is no baloney in this surprisingly good movie (it's not well-known). It also the sports a real oddity: no one's name is mentioned in the entire film! Try to think of any other film you've ever seen where this is the case.

Why 'The Driver" is not better known is a mystery since the director (Walter Hill) and main actors (Ryan O'Neal and Bruce Dern) are known entities.

Maybe because Ryan, who people think of more as the likable male in the immensely popular "Love Story" plays against type, playing an ultra-serious criminal. Make no mistake: he does it well. He is a man of few words in this movie and he handles that in a fascinating manner. Dern is always interesting. Isabelle Adjani, more famous as a French actress, is nice to ogle and she, too, doesn't say much in this film.

The rest of the characters in this modern-day film noir ("neo noir") are a bunch of low-lifes. They do speak.

If you like film noir and particularly if you like car-chase scenes, well, this movie is must-have, because there are several intense chase scenes in here and they are long. They're also well-photographed, fun to watch and certainly keep your attention.

The movie recently came out on DVD and I just acquired a copy, so I'm anxious to see it on widescreen.

---

21 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
A matter of style, 10 March 2003

Author: TheFerryman

As many other Walter Hill films, The Driver portraits a stripped universe inhabited by archetypes. These are nameless, speechless and can trace their roots to the principles of Epic.

It can happen in any city, during the late 70s or nowadays but as a film noir in its essence, exclusively at night.

The performances are great and the car chases register no equal in film history. The pace of the delivery of lines is almost as suspensful as the story itself.

The minimalism of Hill's execution resembles the cinema of Jean Pierre Melville and the film's universe picks up there where Hawks, Walsh and Siegel left.

It's an exercise in style, a triumph of a clever mind, a loveable barren film that adresses, from particular detail, general, eternal issues.

---

24 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
A Fine Study In Cool, 16 August 2004
Author: WDD from Vancouver, BC

I looked long and hard for this film and finally found it online... About a year ago I found the novelization at a local used bookshop and was enthralled. Then I shook loose a repressed memory of a scene from the Driver -well more like an image. That of Ryan O'Neal behind the wheel -shades in place, a study in cool.

Well I was obsessed and had to find the film. Once I did, it was like some sort of archaeological find. I popped it in the vcr (old school all the way) and sat back ready to be taken into a dangerous world of ruthless and amoral characters who live by some sort of twisted samurai code and law of thieves.

In a nutshell, this film delivered in spades. If you can find a copy of it, buy it or rent it. The car chases are extraordinary. The performances and cinematography are gloriously minimal and committed to the aesthetic of 'cool'.

It's a shame that junk like "The Transporter" and "Gone In Sixty Seconds" have come to embody the modern day equivalent of the existential bad guy and wheelman. Those films aren't fit to shine the chrome of this one.

One of Walter Hill's Best.

Thumbs Up.

---

12 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the greatest action movies I've ever seen, with car chases as exciting as any filmed before or since., 27 February 2004
Author: Infofreak from Perth, Australia

How underrated is Walter Hill?! 'The Driver' is one of his least known movies to a mainstream audience, but one of his best loved among fans. It's one of the greatest action movies I've ever seen, with car chases as exciting as any filmed before or since. The characters are all archetypes and named after their roles. There's no traditional character development here, but the actors and the action get the point across. Ryan O'Neal plays a getaway driver, the best in his field. Bruce Dern is the cop obsessed with catching him. He's willing to do anything to do so, even setting him up. I'm a major fan of Dern. I think he's one of the most interesting Hollywood actors and 'The Driver' is yet another great performance from him an a career filled with them ('The Wild Angels', 'Bloody Mama', 'Silent Running', 'Coming Home',etc.etc.) And Ryan O'Neal, an actor I've never warmed to, is surprisingly effective is a role originally intended for Steve McQueen. Plus you get Isabelle Adjani ('The Tenant'), always a pleasure to watch. I'd put 'The Driver' up there with the original versions of 'Vanishing Point', 'The Getaway' and 'Gone In 60 Seconds' as the most underrated action thrillers of the 1970s. Why it has yet to be remade is a mystery, but hoping it isn't as it will undoubtedly suck. Hollywood just seems to have lost the ability to make these kinds of movies. 'The Driver' is expertly directed by Walter Hill, who also scripted. Also check out 'The Warriors' and 'Southern Comfort' for the best of Hill. He's a hell of a film maker and rarely gets the attention he deserves.

---

11 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Slick, Deft, Laconic & Stylish, 19 October 2000

Author: Afracious from England

This is a film with not a lot of dialogue, plus the characters are ambiguous; but if want a stylish film with some great car chases, you have to watch this film. Ryan O'Neal is The Driver; a laconic and mysterious guy who is a great getaway driver. He has a great skill behind the wheel; which he shows to a gang who wants to hire him; quite humoursly, has he trashes their car in a car park.

The detective on his tail is Bruce Dern. This guy just seems to live to catch the 'Cowboy'. He knows O'Neal is the Cowboy, but can he catch him? The cat and mouse race intrigues throughout, has Dern tries all he can to lay a trap to catch the Cowboy.

The pulchritudinous Isabelle Adjani is also a pawn in the tale. If you like mysterious thrillers with minimal narrative, check out The Driver; you won't be disappointed.

---

6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
A Real High Point In Walter Hill's Career!, 26 July 2005

Author: hokeybutt from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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.

---

9 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
high octane, 5 July 2005

Author: movieman_kev from United States

Ryan O'Neal ("Barry Lyndon", "Love Story", "Paper Moon") is an immaculate getaway man known simply as Driver. A detective (Bruce Dern, "Hang 'Em High", "Black Sunday", "Monster") is hellbent on apprehending the driver and goes so far as to enlist criminals to entangle the driver in a faux robbery. What follows is an amazing slick, taunt, and exciting piece of American cinema. Writer/Director Water Hill is one of my favorite movie makers, and with this film (along with such all-time classics as "48 Hours", "The Warriors", "The Getaway, and "Red Heat" among others) it's VERY easy to be able to tell why. Every actor in this movie is great, the car chases are exciting and it's just a very cool film. I highly recommend this one for guys who like GUY movies.

My Grade: A

DVD Extras: Both widescreen and Fullscreen versions; Alternate Beginning;Theatrical Trailer

---

11 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
All time classic - but not for everybody., 3 October 1999

Author: Stuart (stuart@stu.org.uk) from Southampton, UK

This is a thinking mans movie, which dare I say is why it seems to have a low rating! (at least far lower than I expected). If you watch this just for the car chases, then may I suggest you go and watch The Blues Brothers. The car chases in this film are simply the icing on the cake. Watch it for the characters, their lives, the atmosphere. All time classic.

---

4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Quick Reviews!!, 25 April 2005

Author: malkane316 from NI

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Before Hill hit the big time with The Warriors and Southern Comfort, he made what still stands today as one of the great 'car chase' movies. Not only is it an excuse to show off some skillful stunt driving, but it is an enticing blend of crime, noir, and action with a bleak tone and some excellent dialogue. Featuring strong performances from Bruce Dern and Ryan O'Neil, The Driver has become a forgotten cult classic.

O'Neil stars as a getaway driver for robbers, mostly inept robbers. In the style of a hit-man they must find a way to contact him, and once the the job is done he gets his money and vanishes. He is at the top of his game, and no matter how many cops they send after him, he always manages to get away thanks to his driving. A local Detective played by Dern decides to make it his top priority to catch the Driver, and will use anyone to find him, do anything to catch him. Dern hires a bunch of criminals and orders them to contact the Driver and involve him in a false heist, so that the Detective will catch him. The Driver is not so dumb though, is cool and tough, and realises there is something odd going on. Trashing the car of the robbers who want him, he turns down the job. He soon realises the cop is on his tail. O'Neil gets the help of the cold, emotionless Player (Adjani) to fool the Detective, and they set up a plan to get away with a briefcase full of money. However, the Detective is also close behind them.

This has some of the best filmed, most exciting and raw car-chases ever filmed. Everything is done simply, there are no jumps between skyscrapers, but it is done with intensity and realism. O'Neil is perfect in the role, speaking only when necessary and everything he says sounds cool. Dern is also strong as the Detective who grows increasingly frantic and abuses his power. Adjani is effectively distant adding to the tone of detachment and coldness. We don't get close to any character, we wouldn't want to and that is not the point. We know what they are, what they do, and watch them do it. No character is named or given any sort of background. The bleak surroundings and grim cityscapes all add to the noir and empty feeling, which may mean that some people will not enjoy it. This is not meant to be a cosy film though, and has a suitably ambiguous ending. Also look out for Ronee Blakely, Nancy's mother from Elm Street Pt 1, as The Connection. An underrated chase and crime movie.

8 out of 10

---

6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
BULLITT's favorite nephew, THE DRIVER!!!, 12 December 2003
Author: slavejuan (slavejuan@aol.com) from sparrow, AZ

this is a great movie. very simple, very cool, very entertaining. there are basically three chases. three chases and one great scene where The Driver proves his worth by doing a crash-up derby in an inside parking lot. in between these chases are mellow conversations right out of some neat black and white noir film from the fifties. Ryan O'Neal is awesome. it may take a while to get used to his performance, which is really not a performance, but an attitude. it seems like the type of movie that Steve McQueen would've starred in. that is, the lead doesnt have to say much, just look cool. Ryan O'Neal, who usually plays wimpish or else pretty boy roles (often both in one), in real life is liken to McQueen. he's pretty tough and always had a reputation of being a fighter. in real life he was a boxer. in most of his movies he's able to box (even in Kubrick's BARRY LYNDON). there's a great scene where he's knocking one of the most obnoxious 'villian's' down a flight of stairs. but the DRIVER is that kind of movie where the lead is a bad guy (a getaway driver), so to speak. so thus it's all about the good-b ad guys and the bad-bad guys, and then the cops. Bruce Dern is great. he's very obnoxious on purpose as usual. his character takes the law into his own hands. his partner is also good, playing the good-cop of the two (this actor played a deputy in PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID). then there's a third cop, Felice Orlani, who doesnt say much but just stands there letting Dern weave his crooked magic. Orlani played a very important doomed character in this movie's favorite uncle, BULLITT. and last but not least, the direction. Walter Hill is incredible when it comes to cool and subtle action (cult) flicks. he's a true action director, puts you right on the floorboards, right on the bumper of the car, right on the gas pedal pressed to the metal. the Driver rules, so watch it. and don't expect anything more than a great, yet often mellow-gold, ride. (and hopefully it'll be on DVD soon)

---

---

Page 1 of 6:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Ratings	External reviews
Plot keywords	Main details	Your user comments
Your vote history