Driven

When William Jefferson Blythe Clinton was president of the United States of America all the Hollywoood machine ground out was sex, sex, sex.

Now that George Walker Bush is president all we seem to get at large is sex symbols.

Aged ones, at that.

Consider this, if you will.

For eight years he was conspicious by his absence. Now he has returned. As a warrior, yes. But a urbanized, domesticated one.

Sly Stallone--this is of whom I speak.

In his latest film, "Driven", Stallone plays, as noted, an aged warrior, an aging sex symbol. Nothing unusual in this. It is the role, with slight variation, that Stallone made his. What sets this effort apart from his other works is that there is a tragic quality to his presentation. A tragic quality that goes to suggest Stallone has recognized a truth about what he does and has, with reluctance and hesitation, accepted.

More on that momentarily. First, though, a summation of "Driven": As the title suggests there are crashes. Plenty of crashes: Cars slam walls, kiss walls, skid walls, tumble and roll and rock, slide, come apart when launched, explode into flames when they impact, fall on other cars, and, basically, do what cars in high-speed races do:

They drive. Hard. Fast.

I would like to say the crashes in "Driven" serve a purpose. Like the crashes in "Days of Thunder" did. They don't. Beyond the obvious, that is: Fill in spaces in the story line, the narrative, the plot that are so big all of NASCAR could pass through without so much as a rubbing, bumping, or slide-down.

Most of the crashes in "Driven" are obviously special effects. Which, again, go to make them not like the crashes in the aforementioned "Days of Thunder". That they are special effects instead of the real thing or a very good imitation thereof only goes to damage whatever credibility this movie would otherwise have.

I digress. As previously noted Stallone has had one role in his acting career and this is that role. Again. Nothing more. Fluff for those willing to lay out coin to watch him slouch to the predictable conclusion.

Anyway, "Driven" is about what it suggests: Driving. Lots of driving. Especially at high speeds, with quick cutting, long shots, footage of real races, point-of-view shots typical of pro racing, etc.

Now. If this sort of thing appeals to you you will like the basic premise of "Driven". It it doesn't it won't.

The director of "Driven" is Renny Harlan, who knows how to do action. Not successfully, not convincingly, but sufficiently.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic