Drive

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"Drive" is about what you'd expect given the cast and crew. A hacked, trite, cliche story with Dacascos out in front as a bionic dude with some super-secret thingy in his chest which everyone seems to want to kill to get. The result is a seemingly endless drone of drab drama with a spritz of cornball humor and long martial arts sequences by rote, some ordinary firefights with ample pyro, and no airborne autos or sex/nudity. Nothing special in "Drive" making it something to avoid unless you're a diehard martial arts or action junkie. (C-

I was really disappointed that this was rated on IMDb as high as it was. I decided to take a chance on it because of that...and it was a big disappointment. This is a waste of time and film! I could barely make it through it...and was only waiting for the appearance of Brittany Murphy who, delightful as she usually is, couldn't even come close to saving this film.

American-born director and FX makeup man Steve Wang hooked up with Power Rangers stunt guru Koichi Sakamoto to make Guyver 2, a Japanese manga-inspired sci-fi movie with martial arts. Their next collaboration was Drive, a low-budget hi-tech action movie that has gained quite a following on DVD. The movie stars Hawaiian martial arts genius Mark Dacascos as Toby, a guy on the run from the evil corporation that killed his girlfriend and implanted him with a 'Bio-engine', a device that gives Toby superhuman strength and speed. Arriving in America he enlists the reluctant help of Malik (Kadeem Hardison) and the two cross America in Malik's increasingly beat-up hot rod. Along the way there are a few laughs, a touch of romance, the occasional shootout and, oh yes, kung fu. Lots and lots of kung fu. To be honest the plot is really just a way to get from one action scene to the next, but when the action is as good as this who cares? Wang, Sakamoto and Dacascos (is it me or does that sound like the world's weirdest legal firm?) have come up with some of the finest fight action you'll see in a film made outside Hong Kong. Dacascos proves he is every bit as flexible and forceful as Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Jackie Chan and the rest, while fight master Sakamoto is no less talented than Yuen Woo Ping or Cory Yuen Kuei. It's quite sickening that Dacascos is mostly confined to 10th-rate direct to video movies while overweight personal trainers and ballet dancers like Steven Seagull and Jean Claude Van Donut still manage to get cast in big-budget theatrical releases (well, maybe not Jean Claude anymore). Fans of The Matrix will no doubt get a kick out of the lightning-fast moves and vaguely sci-fi setting (although it's worth noting that this film predates The Matrix by several years). Anyone looking for no-brainer popcorn entertainment that is actually good will also find much to enjoy. Note: the US release of this film was cut by about 20 minutes and re-scored with a shockingly bad hip-hop soundtrack. The director's cut, available on UK DVD, is much better and worth seeking out.

I saw drive after a friend recommended it to me. I blindly bought this film with lots of curiosity, and not much else. What I was presented with was quite a surprise. I was treated to a film that, in spite of its low budget, managed to shine and show the viewer some of the best action sequences I've ever seen. Kadeem Hardison shows his comic talents as a Chris Tucker type (without the effeminate voice) who's been kidnapped by enhanced assassin Toby (played by Mark Dacascos). This feels a lot like a more violent, foul-mouthed version of Rush Hour, but in a good way. In fact, it pre-dates Brett Ratner's Rush Hour. I guess the plot's reasonably important; super-soldier enhanced by implant in his chest escapes from Hong Kong to San Francisco, but bad guys chase him and want him back alive. Super-soldier is forced to kidnap bar fly/wise-cracker for a ride and the two soon form a friendship and make their way to LA where super-soldier will get loads of cash for implant. This film has heart, it has humour, it has action. It's probably director Steve Wang's best work and it's thoroughly enjoyable. The actors all work hard and it looks far more expensive than it actually cost. However, I will say this; avoid the version that was edited for TV, get yourself a copy of the Director's Cut. It's far superior and doesn't have it's heart and soul ripped out. If you love action, and you love humour then definitely see this film! Dave's Rating ***** out of *****

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, in Drives case that just isnt true. If you really loved American Ninja and thought the martial arts in Gymkata was great, then you'll love Drive, another bland, direct to video, Hong Kong action imitator. Marc Dacascos is the David Copperfield of kung fu, all model poses and Vegas magician stares. A fair warning: people who love Drive's action should stay away from good kung fu like Snake in the Eagles Shadow; they would probably enjoy something like the tv series Sidekicks with Ernie Reyes Jr. & Gil Gerard.

SO many people out there have words about Drive, saying it's just a knock off of Rush Hour. Nope. Drive was made first. Not only that, Drive has been referenced in a bunch of movies, as far up as THE MATRIX (Agent Smith's glasses cracking in 1/2 - that scene was shot the same day that production peoples met with the action supervisor of Drive... where the same thing happens!) It's too bad that people on the money side had to mess this film up. I saw the regular release, and liked it enough to go out and buy it. It was a better than average action film, and could have done OK in theaters, I think... it didn't need to be a direct-to-video movie. Recently I saw the director's cut and DAMN IT'S GOOD! This movie would have been huge in theaters I think. Unfortunately someone on the financing side decided to cut the movie down and change the soundtrack, so the 117 min cut became the 100 minute cut and lost it's buzz... and was eventually relegated to the direct-to-video market. This is a shame, cause the directors cut is awesome. Great action, great witty dialogue, the first (that I know of, correct me if I'm wrong) "cattle prod/electric baton" fight scene, and the main char.s name is TOBY WONG. If you don't get the reference, think about it... if you still don't get it, this movie's probably not for you anyway. This is a great movie, hopefully we'll see the director's cut eventually get a DVD release... until then the 100 min version is pretty damn good. Directors Cut: 9 out of 10 Video Cut: 7 out of 10

Considering that "Drive" is a low-budget and fairly unknown action flick from 1996, it has surprisingly amassed a small cult following in the years it's been on the home video after-market. Mark Dacascos, who was the main villain that was most recently seen duking it out with Jet Li in 2003's "Cradle 2 the Grave," has starred in a number of action movies throughout the '90s, but has yet to achieve any stardom. His character, Toby Wong, in this 1996 action thriller (that's straight out of Hong Kong, as is Dacascos' "Wong" character) apparently swims all the way to the United States, where he's forced to take an innocent bystander, Malik Brody (Kadeem Hardison), hostage. Toby must make it to Los Angeles to meet a courier and Malik is along for the ride. What Toby neglects to tell Malik in the haste of the moment when they first meet, is that he is an enhanced human, with a powerful bionic booster implant on his heart. This in turn opens up the door for many wild, frenetic action scenes, with Dacascos doing a number on the assorted villains hot on his trail. The movie hurtles from action sequence to action sequence, with deft direction from Steve Wang, who has yet to achieve mainstream success. This is by far the best show of Mark Dacascos and his martial arts action. 10/10 P.S.: Also, be on the lookout for a rather humorous supporting performance from Brittany Murphy as a bored, easily-excited teenager who is also brought along for the ride.

This unknown movie maybe one of the best action movies I have seen. To my surprise everything works. Mark Dacascos is great. This is one of the few where he has gotten the chance to show what he can do. Kadeem Harrison isn't annoying in the supporting role and has some good chemistry with Dacascos. Even Brittany Murphy performs well. Although again she plays a socially awkward but endearing character. I wonder how much of that is acted and how much of it is real. It is very fascinating since it is hard to tell whether she is insane or just happily disturbed. Like I said the action is top notch. MD delivers on this front like he did in Crying Freeman. Very reminiscent of Hong Kong style action. And this should not be a total surprise since Koichi Sakamoto and the Alpha Stunt Team was behind the stunts for Drive. They were attached to the Power Rangers franchise if that means anything to you. The martial arts sometimes is used in combination with wireworks. But it is not obvious. In this way it intensifies the action scenes. I must admit that the climax: fight between MD and other "super" man could have been much longer but still it is a great finale. The main highlight is the sequence in the motel where we get introduced to Brittanny Murphy's character. It's a very long but very rewarding scene interchanged with a lot of comedic bits. For a low budget production the movie looks great. The plot is adequate and provides a good background for the main characters. (At least it was in my version: director's cut). Overall it is a very fun and fast paced movie and still holds up today.