Big Driver (2014)

A famous mystery writer sets out for revenge after a brutal attack.

Director:

Mikael Salomon

Writers:

Stephen King (story), Richard Christian Matheson (teleplay)

Stars:

Maria Bello, Ann Dowd, Will Harris

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maria Bello	...	Tess Thorne
Ann Dowd	...	Ramona Norvell
Will Harris	...	Lester
Joan Jett	...	Betsy Neal
Olympia Dukakis	...	Doreen
Jennifer Kydd	...	Patsy
Andre Myette	...	Lester's Brother
Juanita Peters	...	Molly
Mary-Colin Chisholm	...	Janine
Kim Parkhill	...	Leslie
Deborah Allen	...	Doris
Tara Nicodemo	...	Lady Cop
Roland Marko Simmonds	...	Cop
Mike Taylor	...	Limo Driver
Lee J. Campbell	...	Gun Store Owner

Storyline

Driving home along a generally unused country road following a speaking engagement, famed mystery novelist Tess Thorne experiences a flat tire on her car. She accepts the help of who she believes is a good Samaritan who stops to help her, but who instead rapes her, leaving her submerged in shallow water in a drainage pipe as dead. She found out that he actually orchestrated her getting the flat tire just moments before the rape. Alive, she, in shock, is able to make her way home, but she does not go to the hospital, dealing with her wounds herself, does not call the police, or tell any of her friends or acquaintances how she sustained her obvious injuries. Once the issue of what happened to her settles into herself, she decides to use her skills as an investigative writer to find out the reason behind what happened - if she was a random or targeted victim - and especially if the latter, how best to use that information to her advantage. Using her stories' grandmotherly heroine, Doreen...

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Plot Keywords:

based on short story | woman with a gun | revenge | drainage pipe | revenge killing | 

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Taglines:

No bad deed goes unpunished

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Big Driver

Filming Locations:

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Films, Ostar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

The second film Maria Bello played in a Stephen King adaptation, the first being Secret Window (2004).

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Quotes

[last lines]
Lester: You don't think you'll get away with this, you bitch?

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Connections

Version of Big Driver (2014)

User Reviews

A distinct King film

If you're at all familiar with the work of Stephen King then you wouldn't even need to be told this was an adaption of one of one of his short stories to know it. It has his signatures written all over it from the talking GPS, the elderly character from one of our heroines book who is an extension of herself, the dark humour - it's all there. I'm told this sticks very faithfully to the book and I've always felt adaptations of King's work are at their best when they do this.

It's very similar to Jodie Foster's 2007 film 'The Brave One'. A woman taking revenge for a heinous crime committed against her. These days the revenge genre, when the lead character is a man, has become a little stale so filmmakers are having to think up creative ways to keep it interesting with unique killing styles and traveling half way across the globe to find their prey. It seems the female lead character is still fresh enough though that the revenge can be enacted in a pretty straight up and down way.

For a TV movie the quality is certainly all there. The acting is very decent and the story never drags nor feels rushed. Maria Bello impressed me in the lead role. She was gritty and believable and never makes you turn against her which is very important in this type of film. It never really does anything original enough to be considered great which is the only thing holding it back. But overall a good watch.