The Driver: Walter Hill’s sparse crime thriller follows a runway driver as he tries to evade the very much “stepping out of bounds” attempts of capture by a hard-nosed policeman. Both men are consummate professionals, capable at what they do, guided by some sort of murky code of conduct. But neither is particularly interesting, as within the film they (and everyone else, for that matter) exist only to get their job done; they are not particularly sympathetic either. Acting is hit-and-miss; Ryan O’Neal, as the title character, hides his emotions as well as he hides his guns; Bruce Dern, as the detective, is efficient in playing a man full of attitudes and prone to offensive speeches; Isabelle Adjani, as the unflappable and mysterious player that gets, is fine as well; the other performers generally fare worse, though. What raises this film above its story are the muscular and intense car chases, well edited (by Tina Hirsch and Robert K. Lambert) and shot (by cinematographer Philip H. Lathrop).