{"id":89217,"date":"2023-01-04T14:06:32","date_gmt":"2023-01-04T21:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=89217"},"modified":"2023-01-25T23:28:46","modified_gmt":"2023-01-26T06:28:46","slug":"driver-the-1978","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=89217","title":{"rendered":"Driver, The (1978)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I really like chasing you.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Poster-194x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-89218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Poster-194x300.png 194w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Poster-83x128.png 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Poster-174x270.png 174w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Poster.png 605w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA stoic getaway driver (Ryan O&#8217;Neal) receives help from a beautiful casino worker (Isabelle Adjani) in eluding a detective (Bruce Dern) determined to capture him.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bruce Dern Films<\/li>\n<li>Car Chase<\/li>\n<li>Cat-and-Mouse<\/li>\n<li>Ryan O&#8217;Neal Films<\/li>\n<li>Walter Hill Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary writes, this &#8220;cult film was directed by Walter Hill, who mixed film noir with existential European gangster pictures.&#8221; He notes that while &#8220;it has an interesting style,&#8221; &#8220;the actors (but for Dern, of course): <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern-1024x555.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"347\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-89226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern-1024x555.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern-768x416.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern-498x270.png 498w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern.png 1293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; seem to be on their own and lost.&#8221; He adds that &#8220;it&#8217;s okay that Hill had O&#8217;Neal drive at high speeds as if he has ice water in his veins, but since he&#8217;s just as expressionless outside his car, there are no sparks when he interacts with other characters.&#8221; Indeed, O&#8217;Neal has exactly <em>one<\/em> slightly modulated expression throughout this film. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-ONeal-Gun.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-ONeal-Gun-1024x556.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"348\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-89222\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-ONeal-Gun-1024x556.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-ONeal-Gun-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-ONeal-Gun-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-ONeal-Gun-768x417.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-ONeal-Gun-498x270.png 498w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-ONeal-Gun.png 1294w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s4259driv.html\">DVD Savant<\/a> as amusingly forthright in his take on O&#8217;Neal&#8217;s performance, noting that: <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>[Unlike Steve McQueen], Ryan O&#8217;Neal [is] a featherweight whose presence doesn&#8217;t dominate scenes. There&#8217;s no particular reason for tough gangsters to be intimidated by The Driver, for the cops to respect him, or the girl to be moved by just standing near him. For this gambit to work, the soul-sick look on the actor&#8217;s face must be fulfilling in itself, as it is in the case of Jean Gabin, Robert Ryan or even Charles Bronson.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Peary adds that &#8220;the most disappointing scenes are those in which [O&#8217;Neal] gets together with the equally reserved Isabelle Adjani and both are as cool and exciting as cucumbers.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Cucumbers.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Cucumbers-1024x562.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"351\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-89221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Cucumbers-1024x562.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Cucumbers-300x165.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Cucumbers-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Cucumbers-768x421.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Cucumbers-492x270.png 492w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Cucumbers.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peary points out that &#8220;Hill&#8217;s at his best directing action scenes&#8221;; however, while the film&#8217;s car chases are &#8220;excitingly filmed&#8221;, they&#8217;re also &#8220;too long and repetitive.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase2-1024x528.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"330\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-89223\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase2-1024x528.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase2-300x155.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase2-128x66.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase2-768x396.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase2-523x270.png 523w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase2.png 1297w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m in agreement with Peary&#8217;s review: there&#8217;s plenty of action here, but O&#8217;Neal&#8217;s dull protagonist gives us nothing to hold onto. While we&#8217;d love to root for &#8220;brutal, slightly unhinged Las Vegas cop Bruce Dern,&#8221; he&#8217;s a bit of a d**k so that doesn&#8217;t feel quite right, either. I&#8217;m a much bigger fan of Hill&#8217;s follow-up cult film, <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=62205\"><em>The Warriors<\/em> (1979)<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Philip Lathrop&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern-Car.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern-Car-1024x557.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"348\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-89228\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern-Car-1024x557.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern-Car-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern-Car-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern-Car-768x418.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern-Car-496x270.png 496w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Dern-Car.png 1287w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Impressively filmed and edited car chase sequences<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase-Inside.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase-Inside-1024x543.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"339\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-89227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase-Inside-1024x543.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase-Inside-300x159.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase-Inside-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase-Inside-768x408.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase-Inside-509x270.png 509w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Car-Chase-Inside.png 1287w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Excellent use of location shooting in downtown Los Angeles<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Tunnel.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Tunnel-1024x553.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"346\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-89220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Tunnel-1024x553.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Tunnel-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Tunnel-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Tunnel-768x415.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Tunnel-500x270.png 500w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Driver-Tunnel.png 1288w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, though it&#8217;s certainly worth a one-time look for its cult status. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0077474\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.com\/movies\/the-driver\/review\/2000091931\/\">TV Guide Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s4259driv.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I really like chasing you.&#8221; Synopsis: A stoic getaway driver (Ryan O&#8217;Neal) receives help from a beautiful casino worker (Isabelle Adjani) in eluding a detective (Bruce Dern) determined to capture him. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Bruce Dern Films Car Chase Cat-and-Mouse Ryan O&#8217;Neal Films Walter Hill Films Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: As Peary writes, this &#8220;cult film was directed by Walter Hill, who mixed film noir with existential European gangster pictures.&#8221; He notes that while &#8220;it has an interesting&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=89217\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=89217"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89478,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89217\/revisions\/89478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=89217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=89217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=89217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}