Driven poster & wallpaper

Sylvester Stallone, Burt Reynolds, Kip Pardue

Motorsport movies have a lousy track record, so it's not surprising that Driven joins the ranks of previous race-car clunkers like Grand Prix, Le Mans, Bobby Deerfield, and...( read more  read more... ) Days of Thunder. To varying degrees, all of these films offer spectacular racing footage (especially Le Mans), but what is surprising is that Driven was written by its star and coproducer Sylvester Stallone, who shows virtually no sign of the talent that created Rocky over a quarter-century earlier. Under the tepid direction of Renny Harlin, this superficial speedfest fulfills its primary obligation--the racing sequences are adequately exciting, despite the Cuisinart editing and a glaring lack of kinetic continuity. But whenever this adrenaline-pumped drama gets off the track, well... let's just say it's a hybrid of Top Gun and Days of Thunder, but makes those Tom Cruise vehicles look masterful by comparison.

Stallone's a retired Grand Prix champion, called back into action by his disabled crew chief (Burt Reynolds) to boost the career of a hotshot driver (Kip Pardue, the pretty-boy from Remember the Titans) who's trailing a German ace (charismatic Til Schweiger) in the current 20-race season. The female contingent consists of a reporter (Stacy Edwards, too talented for this tripe) who's writing about "male domination in sports"; Stallone's embittered, remarried ex-wife (Gina Gershon, parodying her bitchy persona); and the requisite kewpie doll (Estella Warren) who comes between Boy Wonder and the reigning champ. It's airhead melodrama all the way, so you'd better enjoy the breakneck racing scenes--including a ludicrous prototype-racer joyride through downtown Chicago--or you'll blow a piston on your straightaway sprint to the bad-movie finish line. --Jeff Shannon

Flixster Users

42% liked it

38,204 ratings

Critics

13% liked it

107 critics

PG-13, 117 min.

Directed by: Renny Harlin

Release Date: April 27, 2001

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DVD Release Date: June 1, 2004

Stats: 1,017 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,017)

  • dreamfaeries
    September 22, 2008
    dreamfaeries
    Not as bad as I thought it would be.
  • TheMachinist
    May 21, 2008
    TheMachinist
    Crap!! Every mistake that can possibly be done, were made in this piece of wasted cinema.
  • PvtCaboose91
    May 20, 2008
    PvtCaboose91
    "The fear is never gone."


    Driven met with a negative reception from critics and audiences alike, even permitting the Razzie committee to have a field day with this Stallone-written sport drama. It pains me to admit it, but I found Driven to be unworthy

    ...( read more)of such an appalling reception. Okay so the movie is clichéd beyond belief and highly predictable from about 20 minutes in; however the film still supplies a fair share of intense racing scenes and boasts a decent cast.


    In the world of racing, rookie driver Jimmy Bly (Pardue) is a young hot shot who has won several races throughout the year and is fast challenging the current world champion Beau Brandenberg (Schweiger). Despite Jimmy's early success in the season it rapidly becomes evident that he is struggling to maintain focus and concentration. Jimmy is palpably mentally unfit and his luck will fast run dry. Under constant pressure from his manager (Reynolds) and brother (Leonard), Jimmy is on the verge of cracking. To ease the stress and pressure, Jimmy's manager calls retired racing star Joe Tanto (Stallone) to act as a mentor. Joe is also brought on board as a co-driver to watch over Jimmy while he's on the tracks and to give the rookie some assistance when necessary. With the persistence of Joe's tuition it is hoped that Jimmy will overcome his stress and doubts to proceed throughout the competition and hopefully end up as the new world champion.


    Driven had a lot of potential, most of which is terminated by the cliché ridden screenplay. It's painful to think that this is the same man who penned the screenplay for Rocky. I think the main problem here is reluctance to step out of the comfort zone. Instead of staying away from a formulaic structure, Stallone throttles into the clichés at the speed of a race car driver.


    Naturally this film has the conventional set of characters standard for the genre. Throw in the proverbial love interest, a few arrogant managers and a sneaky reporter. On the contrary it's relieving to know that screenwriter Stallone did not go for the conventional villain approach. Instead of arrogant and selfish, the powerful Beau Brandenberg does not try to make enemies out of anyone. He shows some depth to his character, especially when someone is in trouble. These mixed sets of characters are portrayed fairly well by the game cast.


    Sylvester Stallone's dialogue isn't too hard to understand here. Sometimes that subtitles button does look mighty attractive. Be that as it may, Stallone shows commitment and focus. Obviously many people are welcome to disagree with that previous sentence; however in my opinion Stallone has a lot of talent that usually goes to waste with some dodgy career moves.


    Driven may be predictable and clichéd, but the effects look great and the film boasts a number of exhilarating races. Even so, during some of the races the cars begin flying all over the place while slow motion photography kicks in. To make matters worse the special effects for the duration of these shots look dodgy and almost resemble an arcade game.


    I'm very fond of the style that director Renny Harlin brought to the production. There's a lot of ultra fast cutting; however the whole thing is very classy and ably directed by Harlin. Many of the key racing scenes become overwhelmingly intense. I was on the edge of my seat for the most part.


    It's an interesting creative choice to utilise so many songs throughout the film's duration. About 60% of the chosen music fantastically accompanies its desired scene. The remaining 40% are catchy but unsuitable.


    Overall, Driven received a lot of criticism and negativity upon initial release. I found the movie to be filled with clichés and conventions that were to be expected. Regardless of this the film is a lot of fun. It certainly entertained me for its entire running time. Worth seeing.
  • puffchunk
    October 1, 2007
    puffchunk
    really dumb.
  • AgentLexi2132
    August 13, 2007
    AgentLexi2132
    brum brum!
  • busylittleeddie
    October 28, 2009
    busylittleeddie
    A must see but you can't find it anywere.
  • dwoody44
    October 27, 2009
    dwoody44
    Cool view into Formula One.
  • RachandFrank4ever
    October 25, 2009
    RachandFrank4ever
    Just a fantastic movie about working together with people even if they are your enemies. Slys acting was great as well! :)
  • deanhopkins670
    September 23, 2009
    deanhopkins670
    good movie a must see
  • ElCochran90
    September 14, 2009
    ElCochran90
    Brainless and cheap car-race movie.

    28/100

View All Driven Reviews

Critic Reviews

April 27, 2001
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

A movie by, for and about the Attention Deficit Disordered. full review

April 26, 2001
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Even fans of open-wheel racing, the high-speed, high-stress pastime that is the subject of Renny Harlin's hectic new film, may walk away from it more logy than exhilarated. full review

View more Driven reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • georgedlima
    May 21, 2009
    georgedlima
    A movie you can't be happy watching just once, you've gotta see it at least once more to be reasonably satisfied; it's that good a movie.

    Some may say it's unreal and characters are stereotyped, but who cares as long as it gives you that feeling you get from watching a good piece of cinema!
  • brittbrittgish2011
    January 21, 2008
    brittbrittgish2011
    this is my fave movie its the only movie I watch over and over again
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Driven Trivia

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