Ambush

2001 0h 8m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 93

Action

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

While escorting an elderly man to an undisclosed location, The Driver is confronted by a van full of armed men and is warned that the old man has stolen a large amount of diamonds. The old man claims to have swallowed the diamonds and that the men will likely cut him open to retrieve them. The Driver decides at the last minute to help him, participating in a car chase and shootout with the van. The Driver eventually evades his pursuers and watches their destruction. He then delivers the old man to a town nearby and asks the merchant if he did indeed swallowed the diamonds. The client merely chuckles and walks away. The Driver then leaves.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Clive Owen
The Driver
Tomas Milian
Elderly Cuban
Franklin Dennis Jones
Thug 1

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Frankenheimer
Writers: Andrew Kevin Walker
Languages: English
Countries: 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

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 8-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Part of the "The Hire" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Frankenheimer, shot by Newton Thomas Sigel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Duffy 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

Clive Owen and Tomas Milian and Franklin Dennis Jones carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0283875 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Frankenheimer directs. Newton Thomas Sigel behind the camera. Robert Duffy cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 8-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
225 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "The Hire" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by John Frankenheimer, shot by Newton Thomas Sigel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Robert Duffy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Clive Owen and Tomas Milian and Franklin Dennis Jones carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0283875 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 93 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Newton Thomas Sigel
Editing: Robert Duffy
Production design: Michael Z. Hanan
Costume design: May Routh
Makeup / hair: Tena Austin
Runtime: 8 min · 0h 8m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Ambush (2001)

Part of

The Hire

"The Hire" is an eight part BMW short film series created between 2001 and 2002. A form of branded content, all eight films are directed by popular filmmakers from across the globe, star Clive Owen as the "Driver", and highlight the performance aspects of various BMW automobiles.