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."
Top Billed 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
Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews
J John ChardVerified TMDB Critic
2014-01-11
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 chara...
S SteveVerified TMDB Critic
2017-06-30
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 som...
N nikkiwildVerified TMDB Critic
2019-01-07
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.)...
C CinemaSerfVerified TMDB Critic
2023-06-04
This is probably more famous for having characters without names. Ryan O'Neal being the eponymous character whose getaway antics bring him to the attention of the pretty seedy detective Bruce Dern. What ensues is rather minimalist adventure film - I couldn't quite call it a thriller - depicting people without much of a moral compass living in surroundings that merely appear to legitimise their behaviour; regardless of upon which side of the law they sit. Great car chases, though - the pace certainly doesn't hang about - and both O'Neal and Dern are very much on form with the sheer force of the...
