Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

The Driver 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 24, 2023

Walter Hill's "The Driver" (1978) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental features on the release include two recent programs with the director; an alternate opening; original trailer for the film; and thirteen original teasers. In English, with optional English SDH, German, and French subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The Driver (Ryan O'Neal, Love Story) pulls in front of a busy casino. A few minutes later, two masked men jump in his car and they disappear into the night. The cops quickly track down The Driver and begin chasing him. He drives like a maniac but does not utter a single word.

The Detective (Bruce Dern, After Dark, My Sweet) is obsessed with The Driver. He admires his professionalism and wants to be the man that puts The Driver behind bars. It does not matter how as long as he is the one that does it.

After the chase, The Detective attempts to frame The Driver, but The Player (Isabelle Adjani, Queen Margot), who has been hired to be a 'witness' during the casino robbery, can’t identify him. The Detective goes berserk. Eventually, he comes up with a clever plan that should get him his man.

Meanwhile, The Driver is informed by The Connection (Ronee Blakley, TV's Vega$) that some serious men want to hire him. The men are planning a big job and need the best driver in the business. The Driver trusts The Connection and agrees to meet them. The men annoy The Driver, but he agrees to do the job. Then things go terribly wrong.

Walter Hill’s The Driver has the look of an edgy action film and the style of a modern noir picture. It knows exactly where it wants to go and it is confident that it can get there without disappointing. The end result is something very special, a classy macho film that looks even better now than it did in the late '70s.

In his review for The New York Times the late Vincent Canby argued that The Driver is "singularly unexciting and uninvolving", but he simply did not get the film. The Driver is not about avoiding cliches, it is about driving straight through them and unapologetically having fun with them. This, I assure you, the film does exceptionally well.

The cast is first-class. O’Neal's loner is every bit as charismatic as Steve McQueen’s Frank Bullitt. One reason why is that he rarely talks, another is because he looks great in a worn-out suit. Dern’s detective is appropriately aggressive and obnoxious, very much the type of guy a law-breaker would want to kick in the teeth. Adjani is fantastic as the mysterious beauty that is ready to take all sorts of different risks if she is paid well. Blakley, who had impressed in Robert Altman’s Nashville, also does not disappoint as The Driver’s business partner.

Director Hill and cinematographer Philip H. Lathrop (The Cincinnati Kid) shot The Driver on location in Los Angeles, but in the film the city is never identified. The chase sequences are some of the very best shot for a film of this caliber.

The excellent soundtrack was composed by Michael Small (Klute, The Parallax View). The music blends elements of psychedelia and jazz and very effectively enhances the film’s neo-noir qualities.

Note: Imprint Films' Blu-ray release of The Driver presents the film’s uncut version, which is approximately two minutes longer than the U.S. version.

The Driver 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This 4K Blu-ray release presents StudioCanal's recent 4K restoration of The Driver, which was first introduced in native 4K with this combo release in 2022. It appears that this release copies the native 4K presentation from the first release. Even its menus are again set for the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. There is a Blu-ray release which offers a 1080p presentation of the 4K restoration that is different. The Blu-ray release also has a different selection of bonus features. We will post a separate review of it.

Please note that the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and are downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including its actual color values.

If you have seen our review of StudioCanal's 4K Blu-ray release, linked above, you already know how I feel about the 4K makeover and its presentation in native 4K. I revisited The Driver last night and I did not see anything new or different. I think that overall the film looks very good and very healthy. I still think that some of the darker areas reveal a bit of black crush. I still prefer the slightly warmer reds of the older Blu-ray release, too. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies on the native 4K presentation.

The Driver 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this release: English LPCM 2.0., French LPCM 2.0, and German LPCM. Optional English SDH, French, and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Since the 4K Blu-ray is a copy of StudioCanal's 4K Blu-ray release from 2022, everything is identical. While revisiting the film in native 4K, I did not encounter any technical issues to report in our review.

The Driver 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Masterclass with Walter Hill - in this recent program, Walter Hill discusses the early stages of his career and specifically his work as a screenwriter as well as the craft of filmmaking. Mr. Hill also has some very interesting observations about the type of music he favors in his films and its significance in shaping their mood, tone, and drama, as well as the tremendous impact Seven Samurai had on him and his love for westerns. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Interview with Walter Hill - in this recent program, Walter Hill explains how the original idea for The Driver materialized and what it was like to work on the screenplay for it and its eventual production. There are some particularly interesting comments about the generic names the main characters received and how they were used by the critics to declare that The Driver was a deeply flawed film, as well as the casting of Isabelle Adjani. (Tuesday Weld was initially considered for the same part). Mr. Hill even shares a good story about his 'difficult' relationship with Charles Bronson after the completion of Hard Times. In English, not subtitled. (31 min).

• Alternate Opening - in English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Trailer - original trailer for The Driver. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Teasers - thirteen original teasers for The Driver. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

The Driver 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Driver is included in Imprint Films' Directed by Walter Hill, a lavish six-disc box set. It is available on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray, and both releases introduce StudioCanal's recent 4K restoration of the film. The 4K Blu-ray release is a copy of StudioCanal's recent 4K Blu-ray release. The Blu-ray release is not a copy of StudioCanal's Blu-ray release of the 4K restoration. It has different, exclusive new bonus features, and we will post a separate review of it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.