Edgar Wright Instagram – “The Driver
Lives alone.
Chauffeured getaways for 12 years.
Best Wheelman in the city.
Works off the street.
Never asks a question.
Always wears a dark suit.
And never wears a tie.”
This is the opening introduction to Walter Hill’s screenplay and his description of the titular character, The Driver, who would go on to be played by Ryan O’Neal.
I have loved Ryan O’Neal in many films. He was the star of a number of classics and favourites, especially for me: ‘What’s Up Doc?’, ‘Paper Moon,’ and ‘Barry Lyndon.’
But of course, I am obsessed and endlessly inspired by Walter Hill’s 1978 film ‘The Driver,’ a diamond-tight, minimalist masterpiece that unfolds flawlessly over a succinct 91 minutes.
Walter Hill had written the film with Steve McQueen in mind, and after he passed, (“I don’t want to do another car movie”), the script made its way to Charles Bronson and then finally to O’Neal, a super-hot actor at the time, but perhaps not one who you think of as the lead of a tough crime film. And yet, it’s precisely because O’Neal is the more unlikely lead that the character becomes infinitely more beguiling, with the look of faded playboy glamour and an inscrutable, taciturn presence. I truly love O’Neal as this mysterious walking question mark in the centre of this crime story, so much so that it inspired my own script about an unlikely wheelman.
Ryan, thank you for all the great films and the inspiration. RIP. | Posted on 09/Dec/2023 13:42:40
