The driver has clearly been mixed up in bad stuff and is keen to stay out of it as much as possible. He immediately sees Bernie as more than a mid class dirty business man because he's dealt with them before. He is also wary of relationships because he knows he attracts bad stuff.
He only gets involved through chance, her car breaking down, so he couldn't ignore her. And then her husband being in debt to the mob.
He goes batman because he has done it before and cares for the girl who is in as much danger as him. everything he feared was happening again.
It's completely obvious that Bernie is a serious bad ass who has himself settled on a quieter life on his own patch. He is not as ambitious or as stupid as Nino.
But as soon as he realises Nino has gone off piste, he reverts to what he knows best. He does not want the other mob turning up at his door. He has to act decisively and quickly. His only real failing is taking his eye off Nino.
Nino is a bit of a dick and also probably a bit drunk when his car is rammed from behind.
Driver totally expects Bernie to kill him, but is only interested in saving the girl and little boy, he is prepared to die as the last time he saw her she slapped him and he thinks he's blown it with her. And he's prepared for an attack which is why he has a knife himself.
It's an almost perfect piece of film-making, virtually every scene and word spoken means something and makes perfect sense.
It is no coincidence that on this board so many people say that it gets better with each viewing, the subtleties of the direction reveal more each time you see it.
I rarely watch a film a second time but would urge any film lover to watch this at least twice.
i'm tired of dancing here all by myself
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nashknight-1
8 years ago
This was the intended meaning, yes, but it felt pretty weak and unconvincing to me. I agree with the OP, the intro is mind/blowing, the rest is... watchable. 6/10
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AngularTurnip (3337)
7 years ago
Driver shouldn't have been the focus. Instead, it should have been the people he was transporting. This could have been an anthology, broken up into four segments, with each segment focusing on different people with different motives for seeking out Driver. Over the course of each segment we get the backgrounds of the players involved (except Driver, who always remains an enigma). Each segment would culminate with a suspense set piece similar to the one that kicks off "Drive." Maybe each segment could be bookended by narration supplied by Driver. None of the four segments would be related other than they all revolve around the dregs of society and Driver appears in all of them.
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