
Episode #32
The Driver (1978) | Walter Hill, Le Samourai & The Cult of the Getaway Driver
The Driver (1978) is one of the great cult crime movies of the 1970s — a stripped-back, stylish thriller from Walter Hill starring Ryan O’Neal as a mysterious professional getaway driver and Bruce Dern as the cop determined to catch him. In this episode of Reel Redux , we use The Driver as the starting point for a wider discussion about getaway driver movies, crime cinema, neo-noir, cult classics and some of the coolest minimalist thrillers ever made . We look at what makes The Driver so distinctive, from its incredible car chases and sparse dialogue to Walter Hill’s hard-edged visual style, and discuss its connections to Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï and the wider tradition of cool, enigmatic crime protagonists. We also get into the films that surround The Driver — including Le Samouraï , Point Blank , Thief , The Friends of Eddie Coyle , The Outfit , Get Carter , Le Cercle Rouge and other overlooked crime movies that deserve to be discovered. If you’re into cult movies, classic crime films, 1970s cinema, getaway movies, car chase films, neo-noir, Walter Hill, Ryan O’Neal, Jean-Pierre Melville, hidden gems and forgotten movie classics , this is a conversation packed with recommendations. As always, Reel Redux goes beyond the obvious and digs into the films that deserve a place in your watchlist. Films discussed include: The Driver (1978) Le Samouraï (1967) Point Blank (1967) Thief (1981) The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) The Outfit (1973) Get Carter (1971) Le Cercle Rouge (1970) The Killing (1956) The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) What are your favourite getaway driver or cult crime movies? Let us know what we should watch next.


