The Driver is a virtual remake of Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samourai. This simple fact explains a lot: the characters without names (The Driver, Ryan O'Neal; The Cop, Bruce Dern; The Player, Isabelle Adjani; other characters named Glasses, Teeth, Fingers, and The Connection); the script, practically devoid of dialogue; the non-scenery; the bizarre, ultra modern police station; and finally, the plot. None of the above were particularly understood or appreciated by critics at the time of the film's release; but then, the austere visuals and impassive characters of the Melville policier were almost unknown here. The plot revolves around a getaway-car driver who is pursued by a ruthless, philosophical cop. Both are compulsive professionals, but where O'Neal is laconic, Dern is manic-electric.
“The (car) chases are the very best ever seen, Ryan O'Neal wears dark glasses at night and, as Time Out remarked, everyone looks like they haven't slept for weeks. A fine genuflection to the master” (NFT).