The Driver

1978 91 min ★ 7.2 Crime, Thriller, Action

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.

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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

Denny Macko

Exchange Man

Frank Bruno

The Kid

Details

Director

Walter Hill

Screenplay

Walter Hill

Tagline

"To break the driver, the cop was willing to break the law."

Status

Released

Original Language

EN

Budget

$4,000,000

Revenue

$4,900,000

Production

20th Century Fox, EMI Films

Reviews

J

John Chard

January 11, 2014

★ 9/10

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...

S

Steve

June 30, 2017

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. ...

N

nikkiwild

January 7, 2019

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

CinemaSerf

June 4, 2023

★ 6/10

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 beh...