Review of The Driver (1978) by Kjetil J — 12 Dec 2017

Let us talk about silence. This is one of those movies where the cool move is to walk away without as much as a shrug. Two criminals that show emotion: A vindictive thief humiliated by the driver and a vulnerable female fixer both meet bad ends. I am not a fan of Ryan O`Neal (who is?), but in this he stands as tall as laconic icons Steve McQueen (who turned it down - tired of car films and ready for some Ibsen) and Alain Delon. The French have a solid tradition pairing crime and stoicism. Check out the classic heist movie Rififi. Where feelings lead to downfall - a guy puts a ring in his own pocket to give to his girl.

Cinema has always had an on/off love affair with silence. The 70`s were almost the second silent era, in a decade when American television blabbered away. And today? You may compare the original and the remake of The Mechanic. The first knows that silence is a powerful tool. The second is just grunts between the rumble.

Bring on the roaring 80`s. Jack Nicholson became a set of eyebrows, Al Pacino a boombox, McQueen died and O`Neal all but vanished. Adapt or die. Rather funny that director Walter Hill ended up making 48 Hrs. with Eddie Murphy in his motormouth prime.

Before we silence the talk: The Driver confirms that sitting next to Isabelle Adjani during a car chase is the best thing in the world.