Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Driver Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 9, 2015

Walter Hill's "The Driver" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label The Corporation/L'Atelier d'images. The supplemental features on the disc include an alternate opening; original trailer for the film; and featurette with rare footage from the shooting of the film. In English, with optional French subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The Driver

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, The King of Marvin Gardens) 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, Nashville) 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 because 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 film’s 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: The Corporation/L'Atelier d'images' Blu-ray release of The Driver contains the film’s uncut version, which is approximately two minutes longer than the U.S. version.

The Driver Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080/50i transfer, Walter Hill's The Driver arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label The Corporation/L'Atelier d'images.

I assume that the master that was used to produce this release is the same one StudioCanal worked with when they prepared their release last year. What is on the disc is the longer uncut version of the film, which features the additional footage with Isabelle Adjani and Ryan O'Neal that is cut from the American release. (StudioCanal's logo also appears on the cover of this upcoming release). However, here the film is encoded in 1008/50i and the total running time is 01.27.53 (88 minutes). I can only guess why the film isn't encoded in 1080p as the transfer is actually progressive -- there are progressive frames locked inside a 1080/50i encode and as a result there is no motion judder -- but it is clear that the film isn't running at the correct speed. Detail and clarity are excellent and the film looks very healthy. Also, there are no traces of compromising degraining or sharpening corrections. However, there are a couple of sequences where some light compression artifacts attempt to sneak in (see screencapture #3). Colors are stable, well balanced and healthy. Image stability is great. Finally, there are no large debris, cuts, stains, or torn frames. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Driver Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional French subtitles are provided for the main feature.

There are a few sequences where where clarity and balance fluctuate a bit, but these fluctuations are part of the film's original sound design. A goo example is the train sequence where The Detective goes after the Exchange Man. Stability is very good. Lastly, there are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in our review.

The Driver Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Bande annonce - original trailer for The Driver. In English, with imposed French subtitles. (3 min).

• Debut Alternatif - alternate opening. In English, with imposed French subtitles. (4 min).

• Cascades de Nuit: reportage inedit sur le tournage de Driver - presented here is rare documentary footage from the shooting of key sequences from The Driver. One of these sequences features Ryan O'Neal driving the getaway car under the big truck. Also included are detailed technical descriptions by director Walter Hill and producer Larry Gordon. The featurette was produced by Jerome Wybon. In English, with imposed French subtitles. (10 min).

The Driver Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Walter Hill's The Driver is one of my all-time favorite films and I could not be happier when it finally transitioned to Blu-ray. This upcoming French release appears to have been sourced from the same master StudioCanal worked with when they prepared their release in 2014, but it has the film encoded in 1080/50i. I am unsure why because the transfer is actually progressive. This release also has some very rare footage from the shooting of The Driver with excellent technical descriptions by director Walter Hill and producer Larry Gordon. If you are a fan of the film and can find the release on sale, consider adding it to your collections. RECOMMENDED.