It takes a great deal of planning and coordination to pull-off the perfect heist. You need to do your research, without looking suspicious. Know your target inside out. Then, you need to assemble a team of reliable and trustworthy criminals who all have their own individual skillset. Each member will play their part in doing the job. The safe-cracker, the leader, the muscle. The most important cog in this well-oiled machine is arguably the getaway driver. The Driver plays on this notion.
The Driver (Ryan O’Neal) is well known within the Los Angeles criminal fraternity for his skills and professionalism as a wheelman. His high fee guarantees success, but comes with a number of conditions. He’s infamous within the police force as well, nicknamed ‘The Cowboy’, and the lead Detective (Bruce Dern) is obsessed with catching him. Going as far as arranging a fake armed robbery in order to snare his prey.
The Driver is an effortlessly cool crime thriller which has never looked better. There’s a great cast, including Isabelle Adjani and Joseph Walsh, but it’s the cat and mouse chase between O’Neal and Dern which provides the fuel for Walter Hill’s film. Actions speak louder than words, and the car chases are brilliantly choreographed. The sparsity of dialogue given to The Driver only adds to his mystique. Ensuring The Driver remains a cult classic and hopefully bringing it to a new generation.
Special features:
- Masterclass: Walter Hill – An exclusive masterclass with writer-director Walter Hill recorded at Reims Festival 2022
- Interview with Walter Hill
- Alternate opening sequence
- Trailer
- Teasers
The 4K restoration of The Driver will be released on UHD, Blu-ray, Steelbook, DVD and Digital by Studiocanal on 5 December.
