A getaway driver becomes the latest assignment for a tenacious detective.A getaway driver becomes the latest assignment for a tenacious detective.A getaway driver becomes the latest assignment for a tenacious detective.
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film was originally written for Steve McQueen, but he turned it down. According to Walter Hill, "He didn't want to do anything that had to do with cars at that time. He felt he had already done that and it was pretty hard to argue with that." Hill had been assistant director on Bullitt (1968) and The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) and wrote The Getaway (1972).
- GoofsIn a couple of shots in the first car chase the lid is missing from the trunk of the Driver's car. However, it isn't until a couple of minutes later that we see the police actually blow the lid off with a shotgun blast.
- Quotes
The Detective: I respect a man that's good at what he does. I'll tell you something, I'm very good at what I do.
- Alternate versionsA version of The Driver seen on TV years ago included a pre-credit prologue, in which Bruce Dern's and Matt Clark's characters meet for the first time, and Ronee Blakley gives Isabelle Adjani her assignment as an alibi. The CBS/Fox home video version begins abruptly with the opening credits, omitting this prologue.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Automan: The Biggest Game in Town (1984)
- SoundtracksOne Fine Day
(uncredited)
Written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King
performed by Julie Budd (uncredited)
Heard just prior to the first chase in the pool room
Featured review
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.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Driver
- Filming locations
- Torchy's Bar - 218 1/2 West Fifth Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA(Exterior bar scenes as detectives exit.)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $4,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $1,324
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