Fast-paced drama about life, love, and the Human Race.

Rating: 8/10 (17 December 2001)

Contains Spoilers Where to start?
Driven is not a movie for everyone. If you don't like racing, stereotypical characters, flashy and commercialized filmmaking, and utter lack of realism in some parts, then this film isn't for you. If you went into this movie seeking a film of the same caliber as say, "Le Mans" or "Field of Dreams," you WILL be sorely disappointed. Additionally, if you can't take Sly Stallone seriously, you will have a hard time with this film.
The story revolves around a young driver named Jimmy Bly (Kip Purdue)...a quiet rookie in a sea of veterans. As in "Days of Thunder," Jimmy is an incredible raw talent. However, the silliness of "Days of Thunder" does not find its way into this. Bly is an excellent driver, but soon, the pressure of being a media virgin in the overly hyped, super-televised, devil-may-care world of international racing begins to affect his performance on the track.
As the pressure mounts, Jimmy's team owner (Burt Reynolds) brings in the typical "old guy who's seen the best and the worst it can get..." to help Jimmy focus on the track. As I said, this movie is pretty stereotypical, and even predictable. However, Stallone, in playing the veteran Joe Tanto, creates and excellent character with a realistic, tangible dynamic with Jimmy Bly. You get the sense that, even though there is some initial confusion as to his role on the team, Joe Tanto rushes headlong into his task of steadying the young rookie. This culminates in the scene involving 1000hp CART cars roaring through the streets of Chicago, with Tanto risking his already shaky reputation to try and reel Bly in. The scene, while goofy to a degree, is still touching in the fact that you realize that Tanto is willing to abandon his fame, popularity, and career to try and help a kid he barely knows. In that sense, Sylvester Stallone does a wonderful job portraying his character not as a run-down old man, but a thoughtful veteran...
The diametric opposite of Jimmy Bly, and even Joe Tanto, is the "villain" of the film, Beau Brandenberg (Till Schweiger), who is really not a villain at all. He is young, arrogant, not to mention the reigning FedEx CART series champion. He is, at the beginning of the film, involved in a relationship with Sophia (Estella Warren, who's character falls so flat it's not worth mentioning...), and he breaks it off. He too is succumbing to the pressure, although for him, the pressure comes from Jimmy Bly. So Brandenberg cuts off the outside world to focus his thoughts on his career. If Sophia had been written better, I'm sure we would've have thought Brandenburg heartless. But Sophia goes right over to Jimmy Bly's camp, putting additional pressure on Brandenburg, and furthering the gap between him and Bly. Brandenburg's character lines are confused slightly during the scene at the CART prototype party, in which he finally pours his heart out to Sophia, wanting her back, much to the chagrin of Jimmy Bly. This causes the aforementioned (and, I admit, incredibly amusing) scene with the CART cars tearing through the streets of downtown Chicago. Here we realize that Brandenburg IS in fact a human being, as he crawls back to Sophia.
From there, the lines of "good guy, bad guy" further break down until it's almost unnoticeable. Brandenburg and Bly team up to help save the life of their mutual friend Memo Moreno after an horrific crash. At the end of the movie, we are brought to believe that Bly and Brandenburg become fast friends, with Sophia as the connection between them, when in fact, it's the veteran leadership of Joe Tanto, who gives counsel to both Bly and Brandenburg at some point.
There are other characters on the periphery of the story that influence the dynamic between Bly, Brandenburg, and Tanto. The avatar of CART's super-pressurized world is Jimmy's brother, DeMille Bly (Robert Sean Leonard). He acts as Jimmy's demon, bodyguard, betrayer, and best friend all at the same time. He, in a way, drives Jimmy to Sophia, who offers a refuge in a real, caring human being (the one light in which her character excels). DeMille acts as Jimmy's manager and as the "voice" to Jimmy's "face." Often, it seems that DeMille is acting in Jimmy's best interest, but he doesn't seem to realize that his constant pushing/nagging/selling-out is increasing the pressure on his younger brother...
One could spend all day writing about the intricacies of the character relationships, but no one will read it. I say, give Driven a chance. The special effects are tremendous, more so when you realize that 98% percent are done with REAL CARS and not CGI effects. The acting is shallow in parts, but very human and heartfelt in others. Enjoy.