Welcome to Commentary Commentary, the place we sit and hearken to filmmakers discuss their work, then share probably the most fascinating elements. On this version, Rob Hunter revisits the most effective motion films of the Nineties, Steve Wang’s Drive.
Learn any checklist celebrating the perfect American motion films of the Nineties, and the standard suspects will all be there, from Terminator 2 (1991) to The Matrix (1999). You’ll realize it’s a terrific checklist, although, if it has the knowledge to incorporate Steve Wang‘s final function as director — against the law in its personal proper that he hasn’t been given one other one since — motion/comedy Drive (1997). Improbable and frequent struggle scenes headlined by Mark Dacascos, enjoyable stunts and explosions, and plenty of legit laughs courtesy of Kadeem Hardison and Brittany Murphy. This film rocks and reveals what’s doable 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 house video releases over time 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 in fact I gave it a hear. Now maintain studying to see what I heard on the commentary for…
Drive (1997)
Commentators: Steve Wang (director), Koichi Sakamoto (struggle coordinator), Mark Dacascos (actor), Kadeem Hardison (actor)
1. Followers of the movie from seeing it on American cable would possibly marvel 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‘ unique 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 staff. Sakamoto shares that they’re all Japanese and grew up watching and loving Hong Kong motion films. As of this recording from (I imagine) the early 2000s, the Alpha Stunts staff was dealing with stunt work on the Energy Rangers tv reveals.
3. This director’s reduce options the precise character motivation for Toby Wong (Dacascos) — his girlfriend — which was reduce fully from “the HBO reduce.” Producers/distributors felt that wasn’t wanted information.
4. The opening struggle 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 jot down X-Males (2000), The Scorpion King (2002), Watchmen (2009), and extra.
6. The automotive sideswipe at 12:07 really crushed the fitting entrance wheel, knocking it off the axle, and left the automotive basically useless. 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 way of, and the automotive was prepared the subsequent day.
7. Wang made up the reveals 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 with a purpose to get rid of the opportunity of abuse. “I couldn’t even carry 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 title is Sammo Hung, and he went on to do an episode of Hung’s Martial Legislation present two years later. The Hong Kong legend informed Dacascos that he and his spouse had loved the film and that “you informed them you had been me!”
9. The quarry struggle required a ton of rehearsal, and its unique conception noticed it lasting twice as lengthy. Wang’s rewrites on Scott Phillips’ script described this struggle that includes the 2 leads handcuffed collectively as executed within the type of a 50s sock-hop. Producers cherished the concept, 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 score.
11. Wang makes a cameo through the opening ship struggle, 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 bought it to Babylon 5 (1993-1998). It pissed Wang off as a result of it appeared on that present earlier than Drive really bought launched.
13. The shot at 42:33 of the Superior Mannequin (Masaya Katô) rolling the coin throughout his fingers is definitely of a magician beneath body reaching up in to the shot for the trick.
14. They struggled arising 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 power, “however low power for Brittany was like me on fifteen cups of espresso.” Wang knew her from Clueless (1995) and didn’t suppose she seemed the half, however when she confirmed up she seemed completely totally different and blew all of them away along with her line reads and charisma. “I believed she’s cute however she’s not gonna be horny, which is what I used to be searching for, I believed ‘no method is anyone gonna suppose she’s horny.’ Boy, was I ever so improper.”
17. Hardison informed Murphy to name him “chocolate boy marvel,” and whereas Wang was nervous 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 marvel 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 partially meant as an homage to Luc Besson’s The Skilled (1994). The second purpose, although, was extra sensible because the characters are white guys however for motion functions they’re performed on this scene by the Alpha Stunts staff. 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 top struggle between Malik (Hardison) and Madison (John Pyper-Ferguson) grew to become 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 actually 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 believe Wang) says “Meesa gonna whip you!”
21. The movie was initially going to see the struggle 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 blokes heading to Hong Kong. To that latter level, one in every of them says the concept 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 with a purpose to maintain engaged on the film’s post-production.
24. In a primary for Commentary Commentary, reasonably than simply cease abruptly or in silence, the commentary observe retains going even after the movie’s credit finish. They maintain speaking for a further minute with only a black display screen.
Greatest in Context-Free Commentary
“These are the form of scenes that you simply 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 struggle.”
“I’m Fred, you’re Ginger.”
“I really like doing issues which might be quirky.”
“I’m Gary Oldman.”
“Mark can’t discover the rhythm.”
“I bought to chop his arm off, I couldn’t imagine 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 needs to be.”
“Right here’s my John Woo ripoff.”
Last Ideas on the Drive Commentary
When folks 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 maintain rolling. Nice observe for a terrific film, and extremely really useful.
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