The Driver is a 1978 American crime thriller film written and directed by Walter Hill, and starring Ryan O'Neal, Bruce Dern and Isabelle Adjani.

The film featured only unnamed characters, and follows a getaway driver for robberies whose exceptional talent has prevented him being caught.

Despite initial negative reviews it has become one of Hill's most popular films, and received more positive critical reception in later years.

Directors Quentin Tarantino, Nicolas Winding Refn and Edgar Wright have cited The Driver as a major influence.

The Driver initially refuses to work with the men due to his dislike of guns, but agrees to meet with them.

When his driving skill is questioned, he systematically wrecks the criminals' car in a display of his prowess, and tells the gang he will not work with them.

Despite being aware it is a set up, The Driver agrees to take part in the job on the conditions that his fee is doubled and Teeth is not involved.

Meanwhile, Teeth has discovered Glasses dead and interrogates The Connection at gunpoint, killing her once she has revealed The Driver's plans.

The Driver is the second film Walter Hill wrote and directed after Hard Times (1975), which starred Charles Bronson.

[7] Hill then wrote an original screenplay over the summer of 1975, in between the period when Hard Times was made and when it was released (there was a delay because the studio was waiting for other Bronson films to come out).

"[8] The script was written in a sparse, minimalist style, which Hill had first employed on Hard Times: "I thought that approach made people read with greater intention.

"[8] Hill sent a copy of the original draft of the script to director Raoul Walsh, who gave it his approval.

They began co-financing movies shot in Hollywood in association with major US studios that were aimed at the international market, such as Convoy, The Deer Hunter and The Driver.

[12] McQueen turned down the role because, as Hill stated, he refused to star in another film that revolved substantially around cars.

Although considered primarily a comedy and romantic star at the time, O'Neal's casting enabled the filmmakers to secure financing.

Most young directors today think they are David Lean; they spend over a year on a film and we get robots that talk.

This was Adjani's first Hollywood role; she had previously turned down the chance to star in The Other Side of Midnight (1977), but agreed to make The Driver because she was an admirer of Hard Times.

Of Hill, Adjani commented: I think he is wonderful, very much in the tradition of Howard Hawks, lean and spare.

"[8] The film featured several car chase sequences designed by Hill and stunt coordinator Everett Creach.

[16] Hill says he felt the first chase was "kind of a failure" because it "was meant to lead up to a much more spectacular finish" but he was unable to film it properly: it was done on the last night of shooting and an electrician fell off the roof and was badly injured; Hill could not get all the shots he wanted and had to "cobble together" the end result.

"[8] Hill says the major visual influence on the film was the works of artist Edward Hopper.

What fascinated Hill on Bullitt was the abundance of shots captured from inside the cars, which compelled him to film the same amount on The Driver.

Hill later said, "I remember the studio had this huge sheaf of Xeroxed reviews they’d handed me—you could stop a fucking .45 slug with this stack, it was so thick.

"[18] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called the film "ultraviolent trash that wipes out Ryan O'Neal, Bruce Dern and Isabella Adjani ... plays like a bad imitation of a French gangster picture which in turn is a bad imitation of an American gangster picture.

[22] As of December 2023[update], the film holds an approval rating of 79% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 29 reviews.

The site's consensus states: "A tough, highly stylized thriller with amazing sound design and car chases.

When you're writing this kind of script ... naturally you think of an action lead like [Charles] Bronson or Eastwood ... and certainly Fox wanted a name.

"[28] Walter Hill recalled, "Had I not been shooting The Warriors at the time, I don't think my career would have survived.

Both Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) and Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004) refer to this film: a shot and setup of Vincent Vega skidding out into the road with an overdosed Mia Wallace in the passenger seat in Pulp Fiction is copied from the opening chase of The Driver;[citation needed] and Beatrix Kiddo being described as "the cowgirl [who] ain't never been caught" in Kill Bill: Volume 2 is copied from Ryan O'Neal's character description in The Driver as "the cowboy who could not be caught".

Wright commented on Hill's film: "Its influence on video games is very clear and in movies its style has echoed throughout the work of Michael Mann, James Cameron, Quentin Tarantino, Nicolas Refn and now me with my new film (ahem), Baby Driver.