bob the moo In this second slate of films from the BMW "The Hire" series of shorts, the Driver finds himself delivering a ransom to a kidnapper. When it all gets weird he finds himself in a race across town to get to the hostage before she dies.I had high hopes for this short film mainly because it was directed by John Woo – a name high on the list if you're asked to get a high-profile director to deliver a glossy action sequence that makes your car look awesome but also provides some Hollywood thrills. In this regard the film is actually OK because the half of the film that is a race across a city being pursued by police is quite glossy and, while not heart-pumping, at least looks good and has good motion as an effective soundtrack helps. Oddly it does feel a little lacking in ambition and the impacts seem a little tame, but it is still OK. The bigger problem is the other 50% of the running time. The very early sequences have mystery to them and there is an unhinged villain in the traditions of Hollywood, but quickly the mystery gives way to plot holes.The Driver seems to know where to head with very little information; the police gives chase of the "stolen" car even though it is the Driver's car and even though law enforcement are involved in the job and could call them off; the Driver appears to get down off a bridge in about a second – and so on. None of them are massive problems, but many of them could have been avoided by a line of dialogue, a slight change of location or some other device just to block the hole – instead the holes are just mostly ignored and it did sort of distract from the action to be thinking "hang on a second, how does...what, I..." and so on. The conclusion to the short is also a bit cryptic (being kind) or confusing (being honest) and, while I appreciate them trying to make a story here, I didn't think it worked and would have preferred a conclusion that fitted with the urgent, action side of the film rather than a side of the film that isn't there in the first place.Overall a solid little short film thanks to the slick car action – shame that this only makes up less than half of the running time and, while I appreciate what they tried to do with the other half (condensing a film down to 7 minutes) it didn't work and only produced empty narrative and plot holes galore.

Boba_Fett1138 Once again the action is just wonderful (what else did you expect from a man like John Woo?) but the story itself is kind of lame and ridicules.Some of the things just don't make any sense and even though it's just a few minutes short, the movie is still filled with plot holes. Not Woo's fault, he just does what he can do best; Film breathtaking action sequence's. Also the movie is edited pretty poorly at times, especially towards the ending.The music by Steve Jablonsky also was one of the highlights of the movie. It was a good action score that suited the movie well. He is still an unknown composer but I expect this to change in the next few years. Remember this name people!Still slightly a bit of a disappointing part of "The Hire" series of shorts but still very well watchable, thanks to the action.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

super_samiad In a world where advertising is rammed down your neck 24/7 bmw have seen the light.they increased their reputation by becoming the bond car and now have used this short film/ad as the ultimate in product placement.If all ads could be like this i would'nt channel surf in the ad breaks.

Fred M. Hung In their latest quarterly report, BMW recently cited higher than expected launch costs associated with the new Z4. From looking at films like Hostage and Ticker, it's easy to understand why.Hostage is a new breed of action shorts. By assembling John Woo's Hollywood A-list production crew, BMW along with Scott brothers Ridley and Tony have blended film and commercial into seemless product placement.The premise of Hostage is not exactly treading on new ground. A disgruntled employee is holding his former employer in the trunk of his car, and high tide threatens to drown her unless the FBI, with help from Clive Owen's The Driver, delivers $5 million.Woo's slick direction and gift of tension plays very well. Hostage is a taut thriller that both entertains and product places the new BMW Z4. No doubt the Driver films has already catapulted Clive Owen's career.For those who question BMW's business acumen, consider how many car commercials lay casualty to the Fast Forward button. BMW has correctly identified his target demographic, high end yuppies with disposable income and broadband connection, and created an not easily forgettable product placement. Doubting Thomas' out there can surf the BMWfilms website for other shorts like Powderkeg and Ticker. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.As for the car itself, well, if only it were a Bull market....