On D List of Movie Reviews
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The Driver (1978)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
3/14
3/14:
When I'm about to begin a Walter Hill picture, I always shudder.
It's just that he has the mind of a five-year-old boy and lives in a delusional fantasy world. His movies are
puerile, have many logic issues, and lack intelligence. The Driver has met my expectations profusely.
Although there are nice car chase scenes, it's not possible for them to occur in real life because I'm sure
they used choppers back then in Los Angeles to track such incidents. However, I can't find any history on this.
The idea of Bruce Dern as a renegade cop in pursuit of the cowboy is simply grounds for termination. It never
happens. There's always teamwork involved which usually entails many people in law enforcement. That's why I
can't believe the scant number of police cars used to apprehend the elusive driver. However, Ryan O'Neal is
perfect for the role because he doesn't have to speak or emote much, the two typical traits that have made him
an all-around bad actor.
I've seen films with a rubbish ending, and The Driver ranks right up there with them. I understand the
intended metaphor of the cop left holding the bag like a loser. But to think about it, he already had enough
to make the arrest because once the cowboy opened the locker, he just implicated himself in the plot which is
an admission of guilt. Also, because of the chase, shouldn't cops be used as witnesses because they saw the
cowboy driving?
All in all, The Driver is a typical brainless Walter Hill picture.