This year, during the Rolex 24 at Daytona, I decided it was finally time to watch the Sylvester Stallone classic, Driven (2001). I am not a big racing fan, but I watch the Daytona 24 each year with friends. As things slowed this year down during the overnight hours of the 24-hour race, I figured Driven would be just the thing to keep me going. Fortunately, I was right!
While I do not watch a lot of racing, I do enjoy good, cheesy movies. The fact that it took me over ten years to watch Stallone’s racing flick is actually quite surprising. Here are my thoughts.
The Good: Acting
The actors are the best part of the movie by far. Yes, the movie is filled with bad sports and movie cliches, but you can’t really fault the actors for the dialogue they have been asked to deliver. Stallone plays Joe Tanto, veteran driver who has been brought out of retirement by team owner Carl Henry, played by Burt Reynolds. As expected, both men are great in these roles (this is basically Rocky with a fast car), but I also enjoyed Kip Pardue as Jimmy Bly, the hotshot rookie who Tanto must mentor.
The Humorous: Racing Scenes
This is where the movie becomes unintentionally comical. In many scenes, the drivers hands are literally moving the wheel up and down, leaving me to expect the cars to be violently rocking back and forth. The crashes are unrealistic, as you would expect in such a movie. One accident in particular had me completely perplexed, as the vehicle leaves the entire stadium, yet other drivers have to voluntarily abandon the race (that is still running!) to help the car’s driver. The best part, however, is when two of the cars are racing through a downtown area, complete with manhole covers and other debris flying behind them.
The Bad: Camera Work, Music, Script
Some of the camera shots in this movie are awful. During the racing scenes, it is difficult to tell who is in which car, for example. At dramatic moments, there are long, slow zooms, similar to what you might see in a soap opera or a Lifetime original. The direction just never feels consistent.
The music in Driven is about as bad it gets, consisting of generic pop, rock and even ambient music at times. There is never any true connection between the film and the music and I believe the soundtrack could have been coordinated by someone who never even watched the film.
One other drawback here is the fact that there are too many subplots involving love interests. Every main racer has a current or former significant other that is involved in the story somehow and it really is not necessary. We just want to see Rocky… er, Joe Tanto win the race.
Overall
If you watch Driven expecting a classic slice of cinema, you will be let down. However, if you are looking for a fun movie that you can laugh at and enjoy with friends, this will definitely work. I imagine racing fanatics will have a problem with the lack of authenticity, but the Rocky series was never completely representative of the boxing world. In the end, I have to admit: Driven is a fun ride.