Review of The Driver (1978) by Aaron W — 13 Dec 2013
I love "The Transporter." Recently I watched it, followed by "The Driver" a couple of nights later. And it was then I realised how great a movie "The Driver" is, and how much "The Transporter" owes to it.
If one word can sum up "The Driver" it is "Dark". And slow, creepingly slow, and full of atmosphere and delicious "Godfather"-like pace. Yet with furious chases that are still, in a curious way, slow.
It's because they are filmed in a very matter-of-fact way. If "The Transporter" is descended from "The Driver", then "The Driver" is descended from "Bullitt".
I've read all about the complaints that the characters have no names. Well, I never remember names in movies anyway, do you? Name the character played by Gene Hackman in "Enemy of the State".
Exactly. Who cares? It's one less thing to worry about. The driver has more offspring - a PlayStation game that spawned a series. To me this is the grandaddy of car chase movies. There is no equal.
It delivers again and again, beautifully choreographed, filmed and driven sequences. From an age when CG did not exist. That can only add to the excitement. Stunts are no longer thrilling. And because we can never again trust that what we are seeing is real, we can assuredly state as an enduring fact - "The Driver" is, and always will be, the greatest car chase movie.
Period. I must have seen it 5 times. It never tarnishes.
This review of The Driver (1978) was written by Aaron W on 13 Dec 2013.
The Driver has generally received positive reviews.
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