Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

BallWubba Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) Just like the other BMW short films, this one also has its fair amount of nice action sequences. These are easily the center of the film. Owen's and Chaykin's meeting early on is a solid thriller sequence, but everything afterward just doesn't really develop the drama plot until its expected outcome, but offers the viewers something that is nice to watch, but shouldn't be thought a lot about.A man needs to save a woman from drowning in the trunk of a car her now-dead kidnapper put her in. On his way to heroism, he shows us why BMW cars are apparently the best thing to drive. It was nice to see Darius McCrary, even if it was just very short, as his Eddie Winslow was a crucial character in one of my favorite childhood shows. This film was made briefly before people were looking for the next James Bond to succeed Pierce Brosnan and Clive Owen was one of the most likely candidates. The BMW shorts certainly added fuel to his name being in the mix. All in all it was an okay movie, but nothing I'd be particularly interested to watch again, especially the second half.

maxyg18 Clive Owen plays as a driver who has only a short limit of time to rescue a girl trapped inside the boot of a car at the water's edge and is only able to communicate with her by using his mobile phone. This is possibly the longest ad I've ever seen and is also directed by the fantastic John Woo. HOSTAGE (2002) been given 4/10 because it's not really that thrilling or action packed and has unfortunately very little of John Woo's directing style. Although it's an ad, Clive Owen does give a pretty good performance.This ad is not recommended, especially for the people who are fans of Woo.

TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews You can almost always rely on John Woo to deliver great action... Face/Off and those of his films that were made before he went Hollywood, especially those featuring Chow Yun-Fat(or so I've heard; have only seen Face/Off myself) are great and popular for his unique brand of cool, stylish action. His use of slow-motion in action sequences are especially popular; here, he delivers as well... but one can't help but think about whether or not Woo(or anyone else, for that matter) actually read the script. There are quite an impressive amount of glaringly obvious plot holes for such a short action flick... but I suppose what we're supposed to pay attention to is the car(this is a commercial, after all) and its capabilities... though I think many of them are exaggerated, at least slightly, in this. The acting isn't particularly good, but Clive Owen is still great as The Driver... not that one would expect anything else from him. The action is pretty cool, that I must admit. And it somehow manages to overshadow the numerous holes in the fairly thin plot. All in all, worth a single watch, for car freaks. But not much more. I recommend it to big fans of Woo and the commercials, as well as car fanatics. 7/10

Michael Daly BMW began a very clever ad campaign in 2002 with BMW Films, making short action-oriented films revolving around a mysterious BMW driver (Clive Owen) tasked with bizarre errands. Among BMW Films' early efforts is this quick drama directed by John Woo.Known only as The Driver, he is tasked with paying a $5 million ransom to a former burger-chain executive who has kidnapped the firm's beautiful chief executive. The perp has a cellular phone link to his victim, and forces The Driver to write down the exact amount of the ransom - leaving a cryptic clue to the woman's location before the FBI bursts in and the perp kills himself. Now The Driver must roar through LA, pursued by local cops, to find the hostage before she perishes.