Drive (1996)

77% of users liked it
(344 ratings)

While fleeing the wrath of San Francisco's Chinese mob, a fighter (Mark Dacasos) ends up taking a dread-lock-wearing writer (Kadeem Hardison) hostage and racing towards the safety of L. A. Along the way, the two must fight their way through a gauntlet of determined and crafty gang members, each one… More While fleeing the wrath of San Francisco's Chinese mob, a fighter (Mark Dacasos) ends up taking a dread-lock-wearing writer (Kadeem Hardison) hostage and racing towards the safety of L. A. Along the way, the two must fight their way through a gauntlet of determined and crafty gang members, each one hell bent on destroying the two. Furious and fast paced, this direct-to-video martial arts actioner comes highly recommended by genre aficionadas. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Hiroyuki Tanaka
Genres: Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 24, 2002 Wide
Studio: Ardustry Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
If you haven't entered the eccentric comic world of the filmmaker known as Sabu (nee Hiroyuki Tanaka), Drive is an excellent starting point, even if it seems it could have been a little stronger.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Justin Y

If Tarantino ever made a film in Japan, this would be it. Hiroyuki Tanaka (AKA Sabu) is known to be a great director in Japan and he showed me why with this film.I don't really know how to explain the story, but if you see the plot synopsis "A salaryman is hijacked… More
If Tarantino ever made a film in Japan, this would be it. Hiroyuki Tanaka (AKA Sabu) is known to be a great director in Japan and he showed me why with this film.I don't really know how to explain the story, but if you see the plot synopsis "A salaryman is hijacked by bank robbers," that is just the tip of the iceberg. Similarly to Tarantino's Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill: Volume 2, without the jumping around, the story unfolds itself as the movie goes on. Characters come and go, as the main character gets stuck traveling with these bank robbers. I have to say that this is not an action film as some may come to believe, but it is rather a slow-paced adventure movie. Director Sabu uses some great cinematography and well-written dialogue to keep you from getting bored, also similar to Tarantino. What keeps this film from being really great is the fact that there are some weird segments that can be somewhat of a challenge to follow. It isn't so bad though, especially if you've seen a film called Pistol Opera.The acting is pretty good and some characters put on some partially memorable performances. I was happy to see an appearance by Kou Shibasaki, but that is pretty much all it was. I would have liked to have seen more of her.This may not be an action packed driving movie, but this film may actually surprise some people, like me. Tarantino fans may want to give it a try, but I can't guarantee that they will enjoy it, since it is not exactly similar. Still, I don't think they will regret seeing this.