DRIVE (1997)
Label: 88 Films
Region Code: Region- Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 118 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD MA 5.1, LPCM 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Video: DolbyVision HDR10 2160p UHD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Steve Wang
Cast: Mark Dacascos, Kadeem Hardison, Brittany Murphy, Sanaa Lathan, Tracey Walter, Ron Yuan
The Hong Kong influenced, direct-to-video, 90's sci-fi actioner gem Drive (1997) is a totally ridiculous thrill-ride, wherein we have a guy named Toby Wong (Mark Dacascos, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum) who is a special agent from Hong Kong that has been augmented with some sort of internal bio-device prototype, making him an ultimate fighting machine with increased speed and agility. Because he does not want China to have such a weapon at their disposal he flees to San Francisco, USA where he teams-up with a down-on-his-luck songwriter named Mailik (Kadeem Hardison, Def By Temptation) whom he initially takes hostage to escape from by a ridiculous looking hillbilly assassin named Vic (John Pyper-Ferguson, Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II) and his demented sidekick Hedgehog (Tracey Walter, Repo Man). While Malik and Wong drive across country, ostensibly to evade the hitmen and sell the prototype device to a L.A. based tech company, they are joined by a free-spirited young waitress who played by the gone-too-soon late actress Brittany Murphy (Clueless) who is just irrepressibly off-the-wall.
The flick's finale takes place at a neon-lit karaoke bar where Wong must face off against an assassin outfitted with a more advanced version of the bio-device inside him. This one has plenty of action, and while I previously thought that the martial arts choreography was a bit anemic, upon re-watch I think it's just edited poorly, the fights themselves are actually pretty great. Kicking it up a few notches is the rapport between Dacascos, Hardison, and Murphy, they have such kinetic good chemistry with each other and deliver the cheeseball dialogue with the glee and gusto needed to make it work. I've never been that big of an action-movie guy, and this is a flick that I came into dreading the first time I watched it on Blu-ray. It sort of won me over though, and now re-visiting it on UHD I think I might finally be a full convert, Drive (1997) is just a ridiculously absurd 90's action-romp with a novel sci-fi bent to it, it probably shouldn't work as well as it does, but it does.
Audio/Video: Drive (1997) was previously issued on Blu-ray in 2021 by the MVD Rewind Collection, and now it gets a somewhat surprising Ultra HD upgrade from 88 Films, this being their first foray into the ultra high-definition market. They present the longer-running extended director's cut in 2160p UHD widescreen (2.35:1) enhanced with Dolby Vision HDR10, sourced from a brand new 4K scan of the original camera negative. Looking marvelous with finely textured grain and copious fine detail, there's some very minor dirt and blemish visible if you're really looking for it, but it's quite a pleasing and well textured presentation. The Dolby Vision HDR10 color-grading affords the film a reinvigorated color balance, with the cherry-red '73 Challenger being noticeably cherry-ier, and the later neon-lit finally really having a luminescence to it. This is not a film I would have ever through to upgrade to UHD, but it looks great. I mean, if Tammy & the T-Rex "deserves" a UHD I guess why not Drive? We certainly do live in a glorious age of home video, the movies were are getting on UHD these days never fails to impress and excite me.
In another surprising move we get a full-blown Dolby Atmos audio upgrade, in addition to both DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround mixed with optional English subtitles. Squealing tires, fiery explosions, rapid gunfire, dialogue and the score from Walter Werzowa (Eraser) share the sounds stage with modest layering and depth in the new Atmos mix.
88 Films carry-over all the extras from the previous MVD Rewind Collection Blu-ray, this includes the super candid Audio commentary with Director Steve Wang, Fight Choreographer Koichi Sakamoto and Stars Mark Dacascos and Kadeem Harrison; the shorter Drive: Original Cut with alternate score (1080p HD, Dolby Digital, Subtitles, 99 min), the 48-min Drive: The Force Behind The Storm
documentary, Six Deleted Scenes that run about 8-min, and the 25-min Interview gallery with cast, director and crew including stars Mark Dacascos and Kadeem Hardison, director Steve Wang, Second Unit Director Wyatt Weed and Stunt Coordinator Koichi Sakamoto, plus the 2-min Original Trailer.
Something new, or at least something not present on the MVD release is a 20-min Highway to Nowhere - Jeffrey Tobin & Drive, the actor who recently appeared in F9: The Fast Saga talks about coming to America from Hong Kong to pursue a career in acting, and having a teeny-tiny role in Drive as a blink and you'll miss it extra, it was his first role, and he also discussing his later works. There is no accompanying Blu-ray for this release, all the extras are housed on the UHD disc.
The single-disc release arrives in an oversized black keepcase with a Reversible Sleeve of Artwork with both the original video release artwork and a new illustration by artist Sam Gilbey. The keepcase comes housed in a side-loading Limited Edition Slipcase with more artwork by Sam Gilbey that has a metallic gloss finish to it that looks amazing, and is different from the artwork on the wrap. Inside there is a single-sided fold-out poster with the same artwork as the slipcover, which is also featured on the UHD disc. This is a release that's priced to sell, right now on Amazon it's only $2 more ($29.99) than the MVD Blu-ray, sp please use the associate link at the bottom of the review to make your purchase and help support the blog!
Special Edition:
- Limited Edition First-Pressing Gloss Slipcase with Artwork by Sam Gilbey
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 10 Compatible)
- New Dolby Atmos Audio
- Original uncompressed 2.0 stereo audio and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
- Ultra High Definition (2160p) presentation of the Extended Director's Cut in 2.35:1 aspect ratio from a brand new 4K scan of the original camera negative.
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Archival Audio commentary with Director Steve Wang, Fight Choreographer Koichi Sakamoto and Stars Mark Dacascos and Kadeem Harrison
- Drive: Original Cut with optional English Subtitles (1080p HD, Dolby Digital, Subtitles, 99 min)
- Drive: The Force Behind The Storm’ documentary (48 min)
- Highway to Nowhere - Jeffrey Tobin & Drive (20 min)
- Six Deleted Scenes (8 min)
- Archival Interview Gallery with cast, director and crew including stars Mark Dacascos and Kadeem Hardison, director Steve Wang, Second Unit Director Wyatt Weed and Stunt Coordinator Koichi Sakamoto (25 min)
- Original Trailer (2 min)
- Reversible Sleeve of Artwork with new artwork by Sam Gilbey
Drive (1997) looks quite remarkable on UHD from 88 Films, this has me excited to see what else they have in mind for for the format. 88 Films are label with a deep and wildly eclectic catalog of horror, cult, exploitation, and martial arts flicks, I'm just goose-pimpled with excitement as I ponder what treasures could be coming down the pike from them!
