The Driver

A getaway driver takes no part in anything but the driving. A detective who has made catching him an obsession sets up a robbery as a trap. The film gives its characters no names; everyone is known by their occupation and nothing of their history is told. The narrative chooses that abstraction deliberately, so what remains is skill and pursuit. The opening chase in a car park influenced the genre for a long time. Walter Hill wrote and directed. Ryan O'Neal and Bruce Dern lead. It was shot in Los Angeles almost entirely at night. Who it's for: those who like spare, cold crime films. Who it's not for: viewers wanting depth of character; the film withholds it on purpose.