Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Driven Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 12, 2023

Nick Hamm's "Driven" (2018) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The only bonus feature on the release is a making of program with various cast and crew interviews. In English, with optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Then the dream drove into the sunset

For a short period of time, John DeLorean was a living, walking, and talking version of the American Dream. DeLorean was smart enough to realize it too, so at one point, while working closely with the British government, he was happy to introduce it to west Belfast. DeLorean employed thousands of Irish workers to build his dream car there and it very much looked like he had proven the non-believers back home in America wrong.

Then something corrupted the American Dream. Seemingly overnight, DeLorean’s entire business operation began crumbling because he faced such a massive liquidity crisis that the British government issued an ultimatum that was essentially a death sentence. DeLorean did not panic, but his best move was a Hail Mary play involving a former international drug runner. To secure the cash that he needed to please the British government, DeLorean struck a deal with a business partner of the drug runner who was working directly with the cartels in South America. It was a very big deal worth a couple of million dollars. It was also the kind of big deal the FBI would have loved to bust and make headlines with.

The FBI did precisely that. In a fancy hotel in Los Angeles, federal agents arrested DeLorean moments after he was handed a large load of cocaine worth millions of dollars. The international drug runner, who had been secretly working with the FBI, was then given a chance to reset his life somewhere far away from sunny California, while DeLorean went to court to prove that he was a victim of a dirty government setup.

What you just read above is an accurate summation of the story that is told in Nick Hamm’s film Driven, which is supposed to be inspired by real events. You know what “inspired” means, correct? It means that the embellishments and, well, lies in this story dramatically outnumber the undisputed facts. However, before you conclude that because of these embellishments and lies Dirven is not worth viewing, you need to consider a couple of things.

In 1982, after DeLorean was arrested on charges of smuggling cocaine worth 24 million dollars, the story of his downfall became very, very complicated. DeLorean spent less than two weeks in prison because he posted bail and immediately after that went to court to prove that he had been entrapped by the FBI. DeLorean then won the case, so a very large chunk of the events that are recreated in Driven are at odds with the events that are described in official records. However, Driven does provide an authentic glimpse of the world in which DeLorean prospered and began making awful decisions, so it is quite easy to begin understanding what and how could have gone wrong. In other words, Driven is a good film to see not because it comes very, very close to the truth about DeLorean, but because it walks you into the world where the drama started and then leaves you to tie up its loose ends.

This is the only way to tell DeLorean’s story without producing a confusing and ultimately dull documentary that can never make it sound one hundred percent legit. DeLorean made some serious mistakes before he was arrested, but he was a very smart and very powerful man that could easily make things happen. A lot of different things too, like turning lies into truth. However, DeLorean’s opponent was even better at doing the same, so while the two fought their legal battle the truth became something very strange and ultimately irrelevant.

Hamm’s direction is confident and good. It gives Driving a fine consistent tempo and attractive period appearance. However, while likable, Lee Pace does not look, sound, or handle himself as the real DeLorean did. Jason Sudeikis struggles to sell a convincing replica of the conflicted drug runner as well. Most of the time, it looks like his character is auditioning for a meaningful part in Boogie Nights but with the wrong attitude. Nevertheless, Driving is a surprisingly entertaining film.

Driven Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transferDriven arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

On my system, Driven looked simply magnificent. While this is not surprising given how recently the film was made, I think that the quality of the visuals is among the very best that I have seen in quite a while. Delineation, clarity, and especially depth are frequently representative of what I consider to be 'reference quality', so viewing Driven on a large screen is quite the treat. Also, there are some quite striking ranges of colors that make the panoramic period visuals look sensational. Image stability is excellent. All in all, Driven looks so good in 1080p that from time to time it can quite easily compete with films that were shot and made available on 4K Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Driven Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless 5.1 track is outstanding. While Driven does not have a lot of conventional high-octane action, but its sound design is diverse and produces plenty of excellent dynamic contrasts. As expected, the dialog is very clear, sharp, and always easy to follow. Balance is outstanding. I did not encounter any technical anomalies to report in our review.

Driven Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making Of - in this program, Nick Hamm, producer Piers Tempest, and several cast members discuss their involvement with Driven and share their thoughts on the real John DeLorean and his fascinating story. In English, with optional English, Spanish, and French subtitles. (20 min).

Driven Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Any film that pretends to tell the true story of John DeLorean is destined to fail because this story will always be incomplete. Do you know why? DeLorean was a very smart and very powerful man that could easily make a lot of things happen, like turning lies into truth, but his opponent was even better at doing the same, so while the two fought their legal battle the truth became something very strange and ultimately irrelevant. Driven was conceived and made by people that understood this. It enters the world in which DeLorean prospered and began making awful decisions but then leaves it to the viewer to figure out what might have gone wrong and how. It is a film with plenty of undeniable flaws, including unconvincing characterizations, but it is very, very entertaining. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.