4 Star

Let the Car-nage Begin.

STUDIOCANAL brings us petrol heads, one of the best car films of the 70s, with this Walter Hill (The Warriors, The Long Riders, 48 Hours, Brewster’s Millions) film, underrated at the time of release, but it has gone on to inspire other writer/directors (Quentin Tarantino, Nicolas Winding Refn, and Edgar Wright), and computer games. Now on 4K, this is a real treat for the person that has leaded petrol running through their veins.

The player (Isabelle Adjani, Possession, Toxic Affair) plays cards in a casino, it is late night LA on the Southside of Lincoln. Somewhere else in the city the Driver (Ryan O’Neal, Love Story, Paper Moon, A Bridge Too Far) steals a car for a job. He drives to the Southside and parks outside a busy casino as two masked men pull a heist and make it to the driver. The Player is outside and sees the Driver pull away. So starts the first street race with the cops. After the loss of a few police cars, and a bit of a weight loss of the Driver’s car, they make their escape.

No next time, you were late.

Meanwhile, the Detective (Bruce Dern, The ‘Burbs, Silent Running, Last Man Standing) hears over the police radio that a 2:11 is in progress. He knows it is the Driver, he has been after him for ages as he is the best and the most expensive, due to the fact that he has never been caught. ‘The Cowboy’.

Guide dogs for everyone, is it?

The Driver is put in a one-man line-up, but all the witnesses won’t identify him as the Driver, especially the Player, who is actually in cahoots with the Driver. Her sugar daddy isn’t so sweet these days, she needs the money.

Somewhere else in the city Glasses (Joseph Walsh, Anzio, California Split), Teeth (Rudy Ramos, The Blue Knight, The Enforcer), and Fingers (Will Walker, Deathsport, The White Buffalo), hold-up a convenience store, and before they leave they shoot-up the place before Fingers drives them off, he is no ‘Driver’. They are caught, and the Detective offers Glasses a way to do one more heist, a bank job with a pot of $200,000, and get away with it if they get the Driver to do it with them.

You know what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna catch me the cowboy that’s never been caught. Cowboy desperado.

Let the cat and mouse game begin, The Driver is a tyre squealing, fender bending thrill ride. Own it on 4K now.

The Driver is available on 4K Blu-ray