The Driver

"To break the driver, the cop was willing to break the law."

1978 1h 31m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 543

CrimeThrillerAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The Driver specializes in driving getaway cars for robberies. His exceptional talent has prevented him from being caught yet. After another successful flight from the police a self-assured detective makes it his primary goal to catch the Driver. He promises pardons to a gang if they help to convict him in a set-up robbery. The Driver seeks help from The Player to mislead the detective.

“To break the driver, the cop was willing to break the law.”

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Cast

Ryan O'Neal
The Driver
Bruce Dern
The Detective
Isabelle Adjani
The Player
Ronee Blakley
The Connection
Matt Clark
Red Plainclothesman
Felice Orlandi
Gold Plainclothesman
Joseph Walsh
Glasses
Rudy Ramos
Teeth

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Walter Hill
Writers: Walter Hill
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

48 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Walter Hill, shot by Philip H. Lathrop. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Small. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert K. Lambert shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ryan O'Neal and Bruce Dern and Isabelle Adjani carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "To break the driver, the cop was willing to break the law.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Walter Hill directs. Philip H. Lathrop behind the camera. Michael Small scores. Robert K. Lambert cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
248 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Walter Hill, shot by Philip H. Lathrop. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Michael Small. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Robert K. Lambert shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Ryan O'Neal and Bruce Dern and Isabelle Adjani carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "To break the driver, the cop was willing to break the law.".
9IMDB entry: tt0077474 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 16 themes, including "robbery", "card game", "casino", "gambling".
11Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Philip H. Lathrop
Original score: Michael Small
Editing: Robert K. Lambert
Production design: Harry Horner
Costume design: Robert Cornwall
Makeup / hair: Shirley Padgett
Sound: Douglas O. Williams
Stunt coordinator: Everett Creach
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $4,000,000
Box office: $4,900,000
Return: 123% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Driver (1978)

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What people are saying

John Chard2014-01-11
★ 9/10
Sparse Urban Magnificence. The Driver is written and directed by Walter Hill. It stars Ryan O’Neil, Bruce Dern, Isabelle Adjani and Ronee Blakley. Music is by Michael Small and cinematography by Phillip H. Lathrop. A determined cop pursues an enigmatic getaway driver through the crooked streets of Los Angeles… It’s most amusing to now be able to look back at some of the reviews for The Driver back on its initial release. Without wishing to sound like a smarty pants myself of course, but some of them simply didn’t get it, they didn’t understand that Ryan O’Neil’s character was meant to be one note, unreadable and dissociated from society. There is a reason that the principal characters don’t have names, they are simply known as The Driver, The Detective and The Player, the core emotional worth of these people is a key aspect to the film’s strength. Where The Driver is emotionless and not for shaking, The Detective is a coiled spring waiting to explode, a law enforcer willing to do anything to capture his Moby Dick. Much of the plaudits that come the film’s way tend to focus on the car action, which is perfectly understandable. The chase sequences are kinetic, the trial runs exhilarating, this is quite simply a fast car lovers dream as the stunt team lay fire to the streets of L.A. It’s also an influential film into the bargain, however, this is not purely an exercise in action over substance. For sure the story line is simple, but the themes simmering away are anything but simple. The thin line between law and lawlessness is observed, between calm and chaos there is but a hair’s breadth, the grey areas vivid in their textures. This is a cat and mouse thriller with a difference, even daring to risk the viewer’s ire with a crafty and low-key finale. The script is in turns laconic and hard-boiled, the screenplay surprisingly convoluted in relation to how it all pans out. While the neo-noir vibe is further enhanced by Lathrop’s photography as the streetscapes pulse with urban realism. The acting doesn’t have to be top notch, the characters do not call for thesping of the method or board walking kind, they just need to get a handle on their respective traits that define them, and they do, perfectly so. A supremely cool movie, exciting and brawny as well, The Driver is a neo-noir gem. 9/10
Steve2017-06-30
www.noiroftheweek.com This week we take a look at the intense neo-noir, The Driver. Directed by Walter Hill, this cold neo is a perfect example of how film noir evolved into experimental crime films in the 1970s. No doubt inspired by Le Samourai which itself was inspired by This Gun For Hire, The Driver is a cold, lean piece of pure cinema. A night time world of criminals and angry cops. Film noir isn't known for car movies, but there are some great moments of criminals "on the lam" living and dying in cars. Gun Crazy and the recent Criterion release of They Live By Night have some hypnotic crimes taking place with the point of view from inside the car looking out. The point of view draws the viewer into the driver's perspective and it's always mesmerizing. You almost always get a jolt of adrenaline when you feel you're in a real car on a real street corner. Walter Hill's The Driver takes those moments and makes an entire movie out of it. Starring a very disco cast, the film has barely any dialog. Bruce Dern gets the most lines as the man chasing the "driver." Mostly he frustratingly barks at middle-aged-hard-life-cops played by day-player actors that peppered every crime films of the time. Beautiful Isabelle Adjani is the female lead. And Ryan O'Neal is the handsome driver. Sporting long-ish, wavy hair and an open collar, he looks more like a playboy trying to pick up Diane Keaton at a bar than a hardened criminal. Originally Steve McQueen and Robert Mitchum were at least close to playing the Ryan and Dern roles. The film would most definitely be more beloved -- even possibly a classified as a classic -- than forgotten if they had those guys in it. But would it be a better movie? I'm not so sure. Ryan has no actual backstory but his look just makes him more interesting. What is his story anyway? Hell, the guy doesn't even have a name. That's exactly what I thought watching the killer in Le Samourai. Why and how did they become what they are? O'Neal also has a great entrance. Slowly rising. Coming into frame one one of those man lifts that parking garage guys use to go up flights quickly. And Bruce Dern was never better than he was in the 70s. He looks like he could be Ryan's brother. The film succeeds when you realize and accept there's not much plot or humor. Just enjoy the ride. It resists the Burt Reynolds joke-y 70s car movie hijinx and takes thing very seriously (and I love those fun Burt Reynolds comedies). Never do you think O'Neal is enjoying his driving or frustrating police. With a deadpan face and unmoving hair, it's all about the visuals in 70s neon-lit downtown LA and the pleasing sound of metal bending, tires squealing, and gears changing. It's amazing that McQueen turned the role down saying he didn't want to do "another car movie." It would have been one of his best. Instead, it's a pretty much forgotten film that was panned as pretentious in 1978. A box office bomb that would be a critical darling if it was put out today. With the release of Baby Driver, director Edgar Wright has made it clear that his film was made because of the inspiration of watching The Driver over and over again late night on the BBC. The Ryan Gosling film Drive, a completely different movie than Baby Driver, was also a direct tribute to the 1978 neo noir. You could pair off The Driver with a number of different films for a double feature. As I mentioned before, They Live By Night, Le Samourai, and a number of other 70s thrillers like Sorcerer, Bullitt, or even the equally panned romantic Aloha, Bobby and Rose would all make great double features with the beautiful, petal-to-the-metal neo-noir The Driver. Some would argue that a film like this shouldn't be considered noir. Well, they'd be wrong. It has all the elements of a film noir without trying to pretend to be from the 1940s. And it's a hell of a ride.
nikkiwild2019-01-07
I love Hill's stuff, I think the car chase sequence is great and how Hill captures a city's landscape is amazing ( 48 hrs (my favorite) and The Warriors has that trademark as well.)