Starring Marc Dacascos (CRYING FREEMAN, JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM) and Kadeem Hardison (I’M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA, VAMPIRE IN BROOKLYN) This fast and furious action flick combines the superhero film with the cop buddy movie in a high-octane chase feature populated with explosive Shaw Brothers style martial arts set pieces in a bombastically entertaining slice of nineties fun.
When special agent Toby Wong (Dacascos) is fitted with an advanced bio device giving him super-human powers he fears that he and the new technology will be exploited for ill gain when the Chinese government takes back control of Hong Kong. Fleeing to San Francisco he plans to sell the device to a company in Los Angeles but when he teams up with down on his luck singer Malik (Hardison) he finds himself being pursued by ruthless assassin Madison and his band of mercenaries. Like a sort of mash-up of ROBOCOP, IRON MAN and LETHAL WEAPON with added Kung Fu along with an all-star supporting cast cast that includes Brittany Murphy (Clueless), Sanaa Lathan (Alien vs Predator), Tracey Walter (Repo Man) and Ron Yuan (Mulan), this unashamed hybrid genre piece will keep you hooked with its thrill a minute pace and fabulous science fiction premise.
For thoughts on Drive (1997), please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
88 Films presents Drive (1997) with an excellent 2160p HDR Dolby Vision transfer sourced from a 4K scan of the Original Camera Negative of the Director’s Cut. The remaster for this release will blow you away. The level of detail and clarity is quite striking with a nice amount of natural film grain intact. The grain mostly resolves well, but there are some moments which can appear a bit thick or clumpy due to how it was captured. The texture on display in the costumes and within the environments are a revelation. Even facial details such as dripping sweat or cuts and bruises present with impressive clarity. This transfer does still feature a few stray specks that do not distract too much in the long run. This presentation is true to the original look of the film with the added resolution making elements seem more natural overall.
The Dolby Vision HDR really makes a statement, as it makes the warm Americana locales really come to life. The most impressive moments of HDR implementation are in the film’s exterior locations with vegetation and warm summer weather which provide colors that radiate naturally with a lovely intensity. White levels are provided a greater stability without veering into blooming. Black levels thankfully do not struggle much at all when it comes to crush, as it maintains a stellar amount of depth and detail in darker environments. Skin tones look natural and you could not ask for better color saturation throughout. This transfer stands as the ultimate representation of the film.
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with a new Dolby Atmos track, along with a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track, all of which provide a really engrossing experience. The new Dolby Atmos track is as dynamic and hard-hitting as you could possibly hope. This track features an expansive soundscape which captures the kinetic sound design of the film with perfect fidelity. The track rarely lets up when it comes to environmental activity, which especially comes alive when things go full-tilt explosive. The score and soundtrack in this Director’s Cut is used perfectly to establish the mood of the story, unlike the bizarre choices in the original cut. This track handles everything flawlessly throughout the duration of the film.
There is never a moment where any element threatens to overwhelm competing sounds, and balance is maintained so that dialogue comes through clearly. The environmental sounds are rendered well alongside everything else, and things get particularly exciting when it comes to the expansion into the height channels overhead. The low end response is significant and will have your house shaking during certain explosions and altercations. There does not seem to be any majorly noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear. 88 Films has given this film a forceful audio presentation that brings the movie to life in an exciting manner.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director Steve Wang, Fight Choreographer Koichi Sakamoto and Stars Mark Dacascos and Kadeem Harrison deliver a very lively and informative commentary track over the Director’s Cut in which they discuss various aspects of the production including the planning of the stunts, the differences they had with the distributor who insisted they cut a lot of character development, scenes they had to pick up after shooting, the differences in the musical choices, the fun moments they had on set and more. This group appears to be very close, and it is a joy to listen to them together.
- Drive Original Cut (1:39:48): The original, compromised cut of the film is provided here in HD with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio. It is fun to have this included for posterity, but the Director’s Cut is so much better.
- Drive – The Force Behind The Storm: A great 48-minute archival documentary which explores the creation of this film from the creative background of the main figures, the special effects work, the hiring of the actors, the intricate fight sequences, injuries sustained during filming and more.
- Highway To Nowhere – Jason Tobin & Drive: A new 20-minute conversation with actor Jason Tobin in which he reflects on his role as a professional extra in Drive after having moved on to much more substantial work in the intervening years. It is a treat to hear him discuss getting involved with the project, his background in martial arts and more.
- Deleted Scenes: Eight minutes of unused footage is provided here in very rough quality in which Malik talks more about his daughter, Toby and Malik have further conversations in the car, more footage of the Einstein Frog and more.
- Interview Gallery: A 25-minute piece in which Mark Dacascos, Steve Wang, Wyatt Reed, Koichi Sakamoto, and Kadeem Hardison give brief interviews about training, inspirations for their careers, how the ending evolved, working within budget constrictions and more.
- Original Trailer: A nearly two-minute trailer is provided here.
- Poster: There is a foldable poster of the cover art included in this release.
Final Thoughts
Drive (1997) is a film that exceeded all of my expectations with how fun and well executed it actually is in the end. The dialogue is not overwrought or clunky like many direct-to-video – or even many studio – films. The chemistry between the two main leads is right in the buddy film sweet spot, and Brittany Murphy provides an additional ray of sunshine to the proceedings. There is a terrific amount of action spectacle throughout where you can tell a lot of care was put into making things look authentic. This could have easily been such standard fare, but this creative team brought their A-game. 88 Films has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a fantastic new A/V presentation and a host of special features that are truly fun to dig into. If you are an action movie fan, do not pass this one up. Recommended
Drive (1997) is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: 88 Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.