Driven (2001)

[PWGmark92 9]

I really hope Paul, June, and Jason review this movie because this could be the film that could secure Sly Stallone into the annals of HDTGM history a la Nic Cage. Anyways, in case you haven't seen this movie, this is basically Sylvester Stallone's (and Renny Harlin's) piss poor ode to the world of open wheel auto racing. I won't give away the plot(you can watch it or wikipedia it, whatever), but this move has some of the most next level bonkers insane physics I've ever seen in a movie. Not only that, but you have god awful CGI(even for 2001), ridiculous dialogue, a nonsensical plot and the bane of every sports movie: cameos by athletes who don't know how to act. Oh, I almost forgot, Burt Reynolds being Burt Reynolds...but this time in a wheelchair!*

 

*fun fact: His character is based on F1 legend and team owner Frank Williams

 

Even if you haven't seen the movie, I think this behind the scenes mini-documentary gives you a taste of what to expect if you do end up watching it:

 

 

 

As a person who appreciates and is a fan of bad movies, this movie is fucking incredible. However, as an engineering student and a life-long fan of racing, this movie makes me want to eviscerate Stallone and Harlin for doing such a pathetic job of capturing American open-wheel racing and the science behind it. Not only that, but you could argue that this movie had a very small part in killing off whatever shred of credibility and popularity CART, America's primary open-wheel racing series from 1979-1996, had left by 2001 since the movie was essentially a giant commercial for the series and the series itself was hoping that the movie would make them hip again to American Motorsports fans. To make a long story short, it did not.*

 

*fun fact # 2: The series changed it's name to the Champ Car World Series a few years after this movie came out and by 2008 ceased to be due to bankruptcy. The series ended up folding into the Indy Racing League which eventually became what is now known as Indycar.

 

 

Anyways, sorry for ranting about this movie, but, yeah, I'd love to see the HDTGM trio + guest lay into this shit fest.

 

Also, sorry for all the boring real life facts about open wheel racing in the US. Can you tell I like Indycars?

[SlidePocket 707]

This movie and the Planet of the Apes remake later in 2001 tried to make a star out of Estella Warren. But Driven bombed and while Apes did well at the box office, her performances in these two films were largely criticized and she won the Razzie for Worst Supporting Actress for both films. Following Kangaroo Jack, she basically disappeared until she got arrested for acting completely crazy a few years ago.

[Greg T 48]

The fan of bad movies in me wants to see this again.  The racing fan in me wants to vomit a little in my mouth as it gets every wrong in the most absurd ways possible.