...away.
I really wanted to like this movie. I'm a racing fan and when I heard Sly Stalone was making a racing movie, I hopped it would be good. He initially wanted to do a F1 movie, but the boss there declined. So it became a movie based on CART, the pinical of open wheel racing in North America.
Jimmy Bly is the hot rookie, he was on a winning streak, but has suddenly gotten cold. So Burt Reynolds, the team owner, brings in Sly to try and teach the boy some racing smarts. Well Sly's got a tough job as Jimmy's protective brother/manager is not being as cooperative. Oh and the driver that Sly replaced is an old friend of his during his racing days, who just happened to have married his ex wife. Sly and the driver are still good friends the Sly's ex is firing ice daggers at Sly every chance she gets.
What the movie makers forgot was the car's and the racing should be part of the movie. I never once felt that I learned anything new about how a race weekend works, or how strategy is really used during a race. Yeah you can't show a whole season in 2 hours, but at dump the madeup dramatics and do the movie right.
I saw a making of driven a while back, and one scene had Sly going out for his first test run. He's got this trick with quarters, but at home the cut that they showed prouced some good bass. Well the final cut, there was no bass, except for the drowning soundtrack. :P That is my other complaint, the soundtrack is relentless, and it doesn't add to the movie at all.
Oh and all the racing scense were really bad. To pass all you have to do is step on the gas, or just shift down. Uh, these guys have the pedal to the metal pretty much most of the time. Okay, I could proably forgive that, as you have to make it easy for the audience. There was once scene that really killed it, the race in Germany. Just one too many inaccuracies. First of all, any race out side North America is basically an Oval, they had a road course. That really threw me as the had it raining in Germany and I'm thinking, well how the hell can they race? Opps, I guess it's a road course. Second, Bly's teammate, this is after Sly got fired, is making a pass and is totally disregarding team orders. That just doesn't happen, especially if he's looking for a ride next year. Third when the teammate gets launched into the air and lands upsidedown in the lake we see the car leaking fuel. I'll give them the launching into the air and landing in the lake and leaking fuel. Jimmy stops his car and races back to help, oh and the leader does the same. And they reach the driver before the CART rescue team. But they better hurry as their's fuel leaking and it might catch fire! Ohh, the drama, the tension, too bad in real life the fuel used is disapated by water. I guess in movie land they use different fuel. Kaboom! Well, through the heroic efforts, all the drivers are safe except the guy that crashed, looks like he's going to be bedridden for a while.
There are too many inaccuracies and bad acting to make this movie even a guilty pleasure, which is what I was hoping it would be. I may watch it again for some laughs, but I think I'll just watch Super Speeday instead.
On a sad note, the first running of the race in Germany was the weekend of Sept 15, the sad fact is there was a horrendous accident involving 2 time former Champion Alex Zanardi, he lost both his legs as his car was hit coming out of the pits.
Paul
There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.
I really wanted to like this movie. I'm a racing fan and when I heard Sly Stalone was making a racing movie, I hopped it would be good. He initially wanted to do a F1 movie, but the boss there declined. So it became a movie based on CART, the pinical of open wheel racing in North America.
Jimmy Bly is the hot rookie, he was on a winning streak, but has suddenly gotten cold. So Burt Reynolds, the team owner, brings in Sly to try and teach the boy some racing smarts. Well Sly's got a tough job as Jimmy's protective brother/manager is not being as cooperative. Oh and the driver that Sly replaced is an old friend of his during his racing days, who just happened to have married his ex wife. Sly and the driver are still good friends the Sly's ex is firing ice daggers at Sly every chance she gets.
What the movie makers forgot was the car's and the racing should be part of the movie. I never once felt that I learned anything new about how a race weekend works, or how strategy is really used during a race. Yeah you can't show a whole season in 2 hours, but at dump the madeup dramatics and do the movie right.
I saw a making of driven a while back, and one scene had Sly going out for his first test run. He's got this trick with quarters, but at home the cut that they showed prouced some good bass. Well the final cut, there was no bass, except for the drowning soundtrack. :P That is my other complaint, the soundtrack is relentless, and it doesn't add to the movie at all.
Oh and all the racing scense were really bad. To pass all you have to do is step on the gas, or just shift down. Uh, these guys have the pedal to the metal pretty much most of the time. Okay, I could proably forgive that, as you have to make it easy for the audience. There was once scene that really killed it, the race in Germany. Just one too many inaccuracies. First of all, any race out side North America is basically an Oval, they had a road course. That really threw me as the had it raining in Germany and I'm thinking, well how the hell can they race? Opps, I guess it's a road course. Second, Bly's teammate, this is after Sly got fired, is making a pass and is totally disregarding team orders. That just doesn't happen, especially if he's looking for a ride next year. Third when the teammate gets launched into the air and lands upsidedown in the lake we see the car leaking fuel. I'll give them the launching into the air and landing in the lake and leaking fuel. Jimmy stops his car and races back to help, oh and the leader does the same. And they reach the driver before the CART rescue team. But they better hurry as their's fuel leaking and it might catch fire! Ohh, the drama, the tension, too bad in real life the fuel used is disapated by water. I guess in movie land they use different fuel. Kaboom! Well, through the heroic efforts, all the drivers are safe except the guy that crashed, looks like he's going to be bedridden for a while.
There are too many inaccuracies and bad acting to make this movie even a guilty pleasure, which is what I was hoping it would be. I may watch it again for some laughs, but I think I'll just watch Super Speeday instead.
On a sad note, the first running of the race in Germany was the weekend of Sept 15, the sad fact is there was a horrendous accident involving 2 time former Champion Alex Zanardi, he lost both his legs as his car was hit coming out of the pits.
Paul
There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.
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