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DRIVEN (2019)
Director: Nick Hamm Cast: Jason Sudeikis, Lee Pace, Judy Greer, Corey Stoll, Michael Cudlitz, Isabel Arraiza, Justin Bartha, Iddo Goldberg, Tara Summers, Erin Moriarty MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:48 Release Date: 8/16/19 (limited) |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | August 15, 2019 Driven is not the story of John DeLorean, the celebrated and then infamous auto maker whose self-named car became more famous than him, but it is the story of the man who almost single-handedly transformed DeLorean's legacy into one of disgrace. That's one way to look at the man, who's portrayed as the victim of a weaselly neighbor who happened to be an informant for the FBI. The neighbor, named Jim Hoffman (Jason Sudeikis), is the subject of this story, written by Colin Bateman and directed by Nick Hamm. That's a strange decision for a few reasons. Firstly, Jim may be the protagonist, but almost everything revolves around DeLorean, played with an intriguing combination of charisma and arrogance by Lee Pace. Secondly, Jim's story could be fascinating, as the man desperately tries to evade criminal prosecution for his previous crimes by getting into the good graces of criminals and the feds alike. As presented here, though, it feels like a one-note affair, waiting for DeLorean's return to the tale. Thirdly, because of this split in attention, the movie never determines if we should sympathize with Jim or detest him, see DeLorean as a hapless victim or as the willing participant in a sort-of criminal conspiracy (while mostly evading assorted, other accusations against him), or have any reason to believe either of these men. There is, of course, a story to be told about this complex moral, ethical, and legal kerfuffle, in which nobody is really right and innocent or wrong and guilty. That's not this movie, though. No, this one is mostly about portraying Jim as a man eventually torn between his enforced duty as an informant and his friendship with DeLorean, while presenting the auto maker as the far more fascinating mystery. The "eventually" part is the real drag here, since Jim is primarily defined by his informant work with an FBI agent (played by Corey Stoll) and the touch-and-go relationship with his wife Ellen (Judy Greer). Once DeLorean comes into the picture, the story, as weird and complicated as the real-life one was, comes to some life, but it's gradually bogged down by favoring the details over the characters participating in them. As an introduction to this true-life story of greed and bad business decisions, Driven tells the wrong side of the story, but it's not too enlightening about that other side, either. Copyright © 2019 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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(for
language throughout, some sexual references, drug use and brief nudity)
