Impressive for what it intends to do

Rating: 10/10 (23 February 2003)

I would have to say to anyone giving this film a bad rap to stop trying to be a film critic on a mission and to simply recognize what this film is. Driven quite simply aims to be an entertaining movie that gives fans of any kind of racing or dangerous sport a little story to follow while being entertained.
Different people will set out to view this film:
The CART racing aficionado will find him/herself wishing it was a little more true-to-life and a little less Hollywood. I mean c'mon, CART car drivers do not switch gears 10 times while going around an oval or superspeedway and passing. This film suffers the realistic feel much in the way any car buff would outright laugh at movies like Fast and the Furious. The crashes are a little overexaggerated as well.
The type of person looking for deep character development, an intriguing plot with twists, and something that makes them think for days after viewing should go see/rent A Beautiful Mind instead. This is a high action Stallone movie. You are fooling yourself to expect that much from an action movie of this type.
The action movie buff will love the frantic pace and camera work. The music goes perfect with the scenes and overall never really chills out until the credits roll. The sound (on DVD) a very nicely done. This is probably the only type of moviegoer that will be completely fulfilled by Driven. The crashes do not disappoint.
Even the girlfriend sitting next to you will not be bored because this movie manages a little love story as well. Estella Warren is superb although not dealt a very multifaceted script.
To conclude, I would say that Driven delivers in some way (albeit sometimes trivial) to most moviegoers. I was shocked to see what other people are saying about this movie. It is not bad at all. I would actually give it a 8/10 myself. In this age of movies like Pearl Harbor where the makers strive to fill every little void in a movie I was refreshed and awakened when viewing Driven. It did exactly what i was expecting while providing me with a little extra message on what it would take to be a race driver and being pulled 50 different ways.
All in all and a great way to waste some time, see some cool stuff, and be entertained. Do not look for anything that inspires or perplexes you, though. You will not be bored.