The Driver – 4K Restoration
THE DRIVER
IN CINEMAS 11 NOVEMBER
ON STEELBOOK, UHD, BLU-RAY, DVD & DIGITAL 5 DECEMBER
Written and directed by
WALTER HILL
Starring
RYAN O’NEAL, BRUCE DERN, ISABELLE ADJANI
“A diamond-tight, minimalist masterclass” Edgar Wright
A cool cult classic cited by directors including Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill), Edgar Wright (Baby Driver) and Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive) as a major influence on their work, THE DRIVER was written and directed by Walter Hill (The Warriors) and first released in 1978.
The film stars Ryan O’Neal (Love Story), Bruce Dern (Nebraska) and Isabelle Adjani (Possession). O’Neal plays a getaway driver whose exceptional talent has prevented him being caught, Dern plays the relentless detective who sets out to trap him and Adjani plays the mysterious gambler who goes along for the thrill of the game.
The neo-noir action thriller takes place in the dark streets of a deserted downtown LA and features a number of breath-taking car chase sequences, celebrated as some of the greatest in movie history, including The Driver hot-wiring a Ford to make good an escape from a casino heist, before being pursued by a succession of police cars; a thrilling set piece where The Driver demonstrates his abilities during the infamous destruction of a Mercedes in an underground car park; and the end chase which is an exhilarating, superbly shot sequence from the freeway to an abandoned warehouse for a tense final showdown.
Walter Hill was part of the crew that filmed Bullitt ten years previously and his experience shows in the authentically-fast chase scenes in THE DRIVER. Marking Hill’s second feature after Hard Times starring Charles Bronson, he wrote the script for THE DRIVER in a minimalist style, creating a moody and riveting film.
Hill says of the story “It is a tale of confrontation between two mean of iron will. The characters play as three classical elements: the sympathetic criminal, the obsessed representative of the law, and the phantom lady that appears and also acts as a chorus to the piece. Each is the best at what they do; each is committed to a life-style that thrives on competition. It is a study of games and games-players.”
THE DRIVER
IN CINEMAS 11 NOVEMBER
ON STEELBOOK, UHD, BLU-RAY, DVD & DIGITAL 5 DECEMBER
