The Origin of Baby Driver & Drive (video essay) 

Drive (2011) has a special place in my heart. Drive reignited the synth neon 80s vibe.

So what you are saying is... I should watch The Driver.

I could watch a movie where Tom Hardy just sits in a car and drives for one and a half hours. Oh wait...

The Driver (1978) is on RU-vid. Just put it in the search and it's like the first video that comes up. Absolutely great film, I highly recommend it.

I’m already in line for that Wes Anderson heist movie

I like your acknowledgement of the importance of "templates." You can make radically different films following similar formulas, and love seeing new permutations of old ideas.

When I saw Baby Driver, I commented to a friend that it felt like Wright had wanted to do his own take on Drive. Friend replied that they thought it reminded them of another movie but couldn't remember the name. Pretty sure it was The Driver now!

Joss Whedon's Driver movie would be about a bunch of misfits in a car who all see the world differently and go on adventures. And yes I'd watch Firefly on Wheels.

Saw Le Samourai (Loved it, own it a Criterion Collection copy), saw The Driver (Like that one too, thought Drive was a reboot until I saw that it was based off a novel) saw Drive (Loved Drive, love playing Ryan Gosling bingo. Seeing all the good films he ends up in) and finally, I saw Baby Driver three times in theaters. It was my first Edgar Wright film I saw in theaters and it gave me an enthusiasm for the act of filmmaking unlike any movie I've seen in theaters at the time.

I love The Driver, one of the best Neo-Noir films I've ever seen.

I know this isn't the point of the video but I LOVE the background music

Oh dang, someone actually made a video about this! Love this set of films! You forgot to mention that Drive is actually based on a book that is based on The Driver, so it really is a remake by proxy of adaptation. Then there's the driver's toothpick as a reference to a particular rule of the Hagakure, the iconic jacket styled after Japanese souvenir jackets, the auto-mechanic character from Le Samourai being fleshed out into Bryan Cranston's role ... Refn was aware of this history is what I'm saying.

I recently saw Drive for the first time a few weeks after watching Baby Driver in the theaters and I thought they had some really funny similarities. Great video.

I would watch the hell out of that Wes Anderson driver movie

Everytime i hear about The Driver i think about the game Driver You Are The Wheelman

Kevin Spacey stars as a man who forces a kid to do things he doesn't want to do. Do you think Edgar Wright was sending us a subliminal message?

Man i wish this video was around when my friend kept saying baby driver was just a drive rip off despite not having seen baby driver yet (she eventually saw baby driver and really liked it tho, admitted it was a very different kind of movie)

Now you mention it, I understand why when reading the screenplay for "Drive" most of the dialogue had been cut in the final film. Or maybe that's a coincidence, I don't know. Great video essay, as always!

Amazing vid!!! I love how they all have drive in the title too

The musical escapist makes me think of Shinji Ikari.

I'm so glad my friend introduced me to Le Samourai few years ago, it's easily one of my favorite films I've seen in last decade or so.

Great essay! The first Bushido quote and the mention to Le Samourai made me realize the influence that this film had over Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog, one of my favorite movies of all time.

Such a great critique. Rather than saying one is copying over the other, your observation is how they build on one another.

Le Samourai is amazing. I didn't like Drive, but I loved Baby Driver to bits. I was blown away by the sound effects being synched to the music, especially since I was wearing good headphones at the time.

I’ve been a huge fan of Le Samourai for a long time. Glad to see it get recognition.

You make a really good point by calling it a template. When watching drive after baby driver I could point out distinct similarities between the two. Yet, at no point did any of these similarities come off as plaigarism, but instead, different interpretations of a story.

If you like Michael Mann, Refn etc but you're not sure if Melville is for you: He definitely is for you! I watched Le Samourai and Le Cercle Rouge and these two are insanely good and both didn't age one day. Thank you for the video, these films deserve more attention.

I had a weird bunch you would do a video essay like this. Keep up the great work!

This has been gnawing at me ever since I first watched it, and now I want to fuck around with my own version. A small-town one, with characters stuck in their ways and with strained connections, trying to control whatever they can.

So glad you're bringing this underappreciated film into the spotlight! Also, thinking about it, this sounds like the first Transporter film too.

I saw this pop up on my notifications and thought "this better have footage from The Driver."

The ideas you suggested at the end sound so cool.

I always saw the music in Drive as being non-diagetic. More of an emotional sound to set a tone to the scene and less that he was actually listening to it.

thanks for this! For a long time I though I was the only one linking both movies

I literally just watched Drive. Great.

That scene in The Driver where he takes a Mercedes and dismantles the exterior without totalling the car itself is _legendary._

I just watched Baby Driver like an hour ago... nice timing

I dream of creating my own film in this vein. Amazing breakdown of the origin, now off to watch The Driver!

Love The Driver. Thanks for the video

Tight piece. Thank you.

Possibly one of the best video essays ive heard, great audio, music and script with a great video too. Thanks Patrick!

Well, that's two movies to add to my 'Must Watch' list - thanks, Patrick!

I've been planning to watch le samourai for ages, I guess I finally have to now!

I saw your "The Private Eye" book, Such a good one!

Loved your Blade II analysis. I don't know why I'm commenting that here instead of that video. But...here we are. I also like this video and I'm definitely gonna check out these other two movies. Thanks.

It's 2am and I was half asleep listening to this and opened my eyes when you said 'del toro' and just about had a heart attack at the monster jump scare haha.

Ok, so I'm late to this video but it covers 3 films I really like and didn't even see the connection among. So thanks for that! Drive has a great soundtrack and Le Samourai made me go through Alain Delon's repertoire (including Purple Noon, Le Cercle Rouge, etc.).

this is such a good essay. Specifically the part about Le Samourai. Thanks

Damn it Willems, I'm already way too busy and now I have to watch every movie that you mentioned because they look awesome.

"Cronenberg's could be about the driver's body fused into the car" Patrick predicted the plot of Titane, 4 years before it came out. That's a chad move right there

This is how you package little-known tidbits for the movie-loving public. Well done sir. Le Samurai is a classic that more people need to see..as for me, I still gotta get to The Driver. I've known about it since Drive but still have yet to see it.

The Driver is a classic, thank you for mentioning it.

so glad you mentioned le samourai, one of my favorites ever

I believe the film Vanishing Point deserves to be in this conversation as well. It features a central lone character who drives a car across the US. And just like the examples stated, he doesn't say much, as he's more of a symbol than a real character. On the surface, he's attempting to outrun the law; metaphorically he's trying to outrun his past demons. There's themes of morality and freedom vs authority in society. This movie tends to end up on car guys' lists of "best car chase movies" but that's kinda underselling it. It's like saying only people who are into motorcycles should watch "Easy Rider." I'm not sure if this film was considered a B-movie when it came out in 1971, but despite that it made a decent go at elevating the genre. And if you just want the Cliff notes version of the film, you can watch Audioslave's excellent music video for the song "Show Me How To Live."

I saw Drive in theaters when it first came out and again 2 months ago at a showing in a local movie theater. I saw Baby Driver in theaters. I loved both and now I have tasked myself with watching The Driver (and possibly Le Samourai).

Won't watch the whole video to avoid spoilers for The Driver, but thanks for the recomendation, love your video essays, keep up the good work!

I started watching this video and Pat started talking about "The Driver", a film I haven't seen. So I went and saw it (it is really great) and came back to finish the video. And then Patrick started talking about "Le Samurai", which I also haven't seen. Be right back...

Great video and Analysis!

Always thought the look and feel of Drive(2011) had many similarities with Thief by Michael Mann also.

I went down this rabbit hole since I saw Le Samourai. Ghost Dog, Ronin, Collateral and In Coldblooded could be added to this video's list. Lots more, actually. Le Samourai should have its own genre by now, it spanned across the decades and has been reinvented so naturally, it's a marvel to experience its history. It's like a silent assassin soul that travels through new characters in every new movie.

Baby Driver and Drive are both in my top 10 films list

Great video. I need to watch le samouraï, and the driver now.

I feel like I was the only one who saw the Driver before Baby and Drive. My cool uncle showed it ti me when I was like 9 or 10? and seeing Baby Driver especially gave me the greatest epiphany of my life. Good on you for showing this movie to the masses and great vid Patrick

You should have a whole episode of you and friends taking frameworks and directors and throwing out hypothetical ideas; just like what you did at the end of this video.

Best video you have done!! Great work!

GOD DAMMIT I WANT THAT WES ANDERSON MOVIE NOW!!! That sounds fucking sick

I heard of The Driver a little while ago and the plot seemed similar to Drive and Baby Driver, but different enough where watching it wasn't my main priority. Now I need to watch this film.

Patrick -- this was a great video. Going to go back and look at the films you mentioned that influenced the newer two. Would love to see more 'film origin stories' videos from you too!

Patrick you should whatch the Wheelman. It's simpler, more straightfoward, not flashy or anyhting like that. But it does encompasses the spirit of the genre.

Thanks Patrick for the video! I've been hoping for an analysis on Baby Driver and Drive after watching the first in theaters and the latter a few weeks later at home. They're both great and it's hard to say one does something better than the other because they both exceed at everything, just a bit different. You can say Drive has better visuals with neo-noir, before realizing Baby Driver does great with a colorful interpretation of crime. Or Baby Driver has better jazzy music, before remembering Drive's pop soundtrack. It all comes down to tone: Baby Driver is fun and full of fast-paced action, while Drive is dark and gritty.

Awesome info! Gonna check it out as Drive is on my top 10. Though you should call Gosling's character "Kid". So Baby and Kid.

Thanks for this video. I had not heard of the Le Samourai so I looked into it and found I had not heard of Jean-Pierre Melville. I looked into him and he sounds like a director every film person should know and I feel bad for not knowing him. Going to fix it this weekend. x

I had a chance to see Le Samouri on 35mm at the Film forum a few months back! I love it along with the movies that you mentioned in this video.

This is great. Thank you for creating this.

Now I really want to watch the Cronenberg pitch

You have earned my respect. And a subscriber.

They are all also very formalistic. Its interesting how the minimalistic formalism in Drive is turned on its head in Neon Demon where he just goes nuts with it. I must confess, Neon Demon is the better movie for me.

Glad to see The Driver getting the appreciation it deserves, particularly in the past year. Walter Hill is one of the great unsung action directors, and that film is his icy masterpiece.

I'm so glad you didn't mention thief. Thief is constantly and consistently compared to drive and it drives me nuts. I couldn't believe how disappointed I was when I watched thief and realized it was nothing like drive. I was promised and told it was the same silent character who just does his gig. I was lied to and it almost cost my impression of that phenomenal film. I almost hated. But I found that it was different and beautiful in a good way, however I'm still pissed that I spent 2 hours on a film that I never had any interest in prior

Since Wes Anderson has the idea of making driver-related heist film I do hope Edgar Wright and Wes Anderson can collaborate for making heist action comedy Edgar Wright is good at directing action scene and montage scene in style On the other hand, Wes Anderson is good at storytelling and crafting a character with quirky personality They can make quite a good team

I need that Wes Anderson movie about a driver. And I need it now.

I'm a driver, I'm a winner, things are gong to change. I can feel it

I snagged the Le Samourai Criterion DVD a month or two ago. Such a great film.

Great video thank u

Awesome video Keep it up

Just wanted to say, really enjoyed this essay! Had not heard of The Driver before and will definitely give it a watch, as well as more of your videos. We just posted a video called Drive Cars that you might get a kick out of. Keep em' coming!

Why can I only upvote this video once!? Stupid RU-vid

I love you, man.

wes anderson movie's probably gonna have symmetrical cinematography, father and son, someone smoking cigarettes, and having the title written down in a scene.

Awesome my guy

well done

The Transporter with Jason Statham has a similar Idea and a different twist as well.

I watched Baby Driver yesterday and Drive today because I'm writing a book that includes this kind of character archetype. I wrote on Letterboxd that the director of Drive clearly went to the Michael Mann school of filmmaking and it is totally the kind of movie I would make if I had the resources.

In Guillermo Del Toro's version, the Car is a monster and also the driver... like Transformers but with fun gross body horror. Man, I would watch that movie.

Thank you for this.

i love all those movies

Do something with the Hellboy movies! Great channel man!

3 really really good films

Why the yellow-brown bars? Apart of that, great video as allways!

I actually discovered The Driver by luck. I loved Drive and for me it's definitely in the top 10 movies I can watch forever. I was looking for more movies like it when a found an imdb movie list with car chases, and the Driver was suprisingly in the middle of the list and ended up watching it cause of it's similarly to drive. I had no idea it influenced the latter so much