Welcome to Commentary Commentary, the place we sit and hearken to filmmakers discuss their work, then share essentially the most fascinating elements. On this version, Rob Hunter revisits among the best motion films of the Nineties, Steve Wang’s Drive.
Learn any checklist celebrating the most effective American motion films of the Nineties, and the standard suspects will all be there, from Terminator 2 (1991) to The Matrix (1999). You’ll understand it’s a fantastic checklist, although, if it has the knowledge to incorporate Steve Wang‘s final characteristic as director — against the law in its personal proper that he hasn’t been given one other one since — motion/comedy Drive (1997). Implausible and frequent combat scenes headlined by Mark Dacascos, enjoyable stunts and explosions, and many respectable laughs courtesy of Kadeem Hardison and Brittany Murphy. This film rocks and exhibits what’s attainable on a tiny funds.
Launched straight to DVD after premiering on HBO, Drive has gone on to earn a well-earned cult following. It’s had numerous dwelling video releases through the years too culminating in a slick 4K UHD from 88 Movies again in 2022. Wang and his two leads recorded a commentary observe for an early DVD launch, so after all I gave it a pay attention. Now hold studying to see what I heard on the commentary for…
Drive (1997)
Commentators: Steve Wang (director), Koichi Sakamoto (combat coordinator), Mark Dacascos (actor), Kadeem Hardison (actor)
1. Followers of the movie from seeing it on American cable would possibly surprise why the opening music is totally different. The reply is as a result of producers shortened the movie for its U.S. launch and made some music selections too. This prolonged reduce options David Williams‘ authentic rating.
2. “You’ll see plenty of Japanese guys pretending to be mafia,” says Wang over the opening credit. All of those guys are performed by members of Sakamoto’s Alpha Stunts group. Sakamoto shares that they’re all Japanese and grew up watching and loving Hong Kong motion films. As of this recording from (I consider) the early 2000s, the Alpha Stunts group was dealing with stunt work on the Energy Rangers tv exhibits.
3. This director’s reduce options the precise character motivation for Toby Wong (Dacascos) — his girlfriend — which was reduce utterly from “the HBO reduce.” Producers/distributors felt that wasn’t wanted information.
4. The opening combat scene aboard the ship was really filmed a full month after the movie had wrapped. It was a problem for Dacascos as he had spent that point in Hawaii “consuming like a pig.”
5. One of many two cops who enter the bar is performed by David Hayter who would go on to put in writing X-Males (2000), The Scorpion King (2002), Watchmen (2009), and extra.
6. The automotive sideswipe at 12:07 really crushed the best entrance wheel, knocking it off the axle, and left the automotive basically lifeless. This was unhealthy information for a low funds movie as they wanted to shoot extra scenes with it the next day. Fortunately, a bystander watching the filming was a mechanic and approached them after the stunt to supply his help. He got here by means of, and the automotive was prepared the following day.
7. Wang made up the exhibits that the unhealthy guys are watching within the RV, and whereas Hardison didn’t perceive what was humorous about “Walter the Einstein Frog” again then, he pretends to find it irresistible now. It was initially meant to be an ape, however Abroad Movie Group has a coverage that no animals are allowed on their units as a way to eradicate the opportunity of abuse. “I couldn’t even convey my canine on set” says Wang, and he provides that he’s seen human extras handled far worse on units than he’s ever seen executed to animals. “It was outrageous.”
8. Dacascos’ character tells a cop his identify is Sammo Hung, and he went on to do an episode of Hung’s Martial Legislation present two years later. The Hong Kong legend instructed Dacascos that he and his spouse had loved the film and that “you instructed them you had been me!”
9. The quarry combat required a ton of rehearsal, and its authentic conception noticed it lasting twice as lengthy. Wang’s rewrites on Scott Phillips’ script described this combat that includes the 2 leads handcuffed collectively as executed within the type of a 50s sock-hop. Producers cherished the thought, however when it got here time to movie they ended up solely capturing half of what they’d rehearsed.
10. The automotive dialog after the quarry was filmed twice, with one model aiming for a PG-13 ranking.
11. Wang makes a cameo throughout the opening ship combat, and his spouse and younger son do the identical at 38:26.
12. Mr. Lau’s (James Shigeta) workplace on the Leung Company was a set constructed for the movie, and after manufacturing wrapped they offered it to Babylon 5 (1993-1998). It pissed Wang off as a result of it appeared on that present earlier than Drive really received launched.
13. The shot at 42:33 of the Superior Mannequin (Masaya Katô) rolling the coin throughout his fingers is definitely of a magician under body reaching up in to the shot for the trick.
14. They struggled developing with a title for the movie. Turbo Drive was one early suggestion, however Wang’s response was “oh yeah, straight to video.”
15. Brittany Murphy couldn’t be there for the commentary recording, and Hardison says that she’s there “in spirit.” Reads totally different now.
16. Murphy virtually missed her audition as a result of she was sick and had low vitality, “however low vitality for Brittany was like me on fifteen cups of espresso.” Wang knew her from Clueless (1995) and didn’t assume she appeared the half, however when she confirmed up she appeared completely totally different and blew all of them away together with her line reads and charisma. “I believed she’s cute however she’s not gonna be attractive, which is what I used to be on the lookout for, I believed ‘no method is anyone gonna assume she’s attractive.’ Boy, was I ever so flawed.”
17. Hardison instructed Murphy to name him “chocolate boy surprise,” and whereas Wang was anxious how it will play, it ended up being a really humorous beat that had some viewers gasping. That’s the response “from the sisters” that Hardison was after as he’s at all times considered himself as chocolate boy surprise and was thrilled to have a white woman name him that on display screen. Wang says that it got here from Batman, however Hardison corrects him that it really “got here from Pete Rock and CL Easy.
18. The motel assault sees the unhealthy guys all wearing black with ski masks, and that was partly meant as an homage to Luc Besson’s The Skilled (1994). The second cause, although, was extra sensible because the characters are white guys however for motion functions they’re performed on this scene by the Alpha Stunts group. Associated, a second nod to The Skilled comes in the direction of the top when Mr. Lau is requested which implants to spice up and replies “Each one!”
19. Hardison factors out the stunt man doubling him at 1:35:19 — identifiable as a stunt man as a result of his shirt rides up, and it’s clearly not a Black man beneath.
20. The tip combat between Malik (Hardison) and Madison (John Pyper-Ferguson) turned larger than initially supposed as a result of they realized that there had been some racial pressure between the characters constructing as much as that time. Wang and Sakamoto then determined to have Madison pull out a whip throughout their brawl, and it fell to Hardison to level out the deep and painful imagery at play there as they themselves simply didn’t see it initially. That in flip led to him improvising the dialogue as he beats Madison’s ass. “Fortunately, when it was all edited collectively, it wasn’t wherever close to as darkish because it felt on set,” says Wang, including that “it was definitely not my intention to go there.” Hardison understands and agrees however says “now if I used to be working with George Lucas, and he pulls some shit like that…” We then get a Jar Jar Binks impression as somebody (I feel Wang) says “Meesa gonna whip you!”
21. The movie was initially going to see the combat on the Apollo 14 restaurant embody a lot of wire work and prolong up atop the rocket itself, however funds limitations noticed that scrapped.
22. Requested what their concepts for a sequel can be, numerous concepts are floated from feminine murderer fashions to the fellows heading to Hong Kong. To that latter level, certainly one of them says the thought was already arrange in Rush Hour (1998), a movie none of them counsel ripped off Drive.
23. Wang needed to take a day job after filming wrapped as a way to hold engaged on the film’s post-production.
24. In a primary for Commentary Commentary, fairly than simply cease abruptly or in silence, the commentary observe retains going even after the movie’s credit finish. They hold speaking for a further minute with only a black display screen.
Greatest in Context-Free Commentary
“These are the sort of scenes that you just at all times get in fights with distributors about whether or not or not they keep in, as a result of all they need to do is reduce to the combat.”
“I’m Fred, you’re Ginger.”
“I really like doing issues which can be quirky.”
“I’m Gary Oldman.”
“Mark can’t discover the rhythm.”
“I received to chop his arm off, I couldn’t consider I used to be attending to do all this, I dreamed about this as a child.”
“That’s ebony and ivory, that’s the way in which the world must be.”
“Right here’s my John Woo ripoff.”
Last Ideas on the Drive Commentary
When individuals ask me for my favourite commentary tracks the reply is often easy — any observe with John Carpenter and Kurt Russell. They’re nice, informative tracks, however the important thing to their enjoyment as commentaries is the pure, unfiltered enjoyment that Carpenter and Russell clearly share once they’re collectively. Their laughter and sense of enjoyable are infectious, and whereas this Drive observe doesn’t fairly attain these highs, that very same feeling is abundantly current. These guys love one another’s firm, and so they’re extraordinarily humorous of their observations on the movie and banter forwards and backwards. Does action-master Sakamoto fart at one level? Sure, he does, however the laughs hold rolling. Nice observe for a fantastic film, and extremely really useful.
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Associated Subjects: Motion, Commentary Commentary
