Customer Reviews

Drive

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Mark Dacascos is getting some acknowlegdement with The Brotherhood of the Wolf being released in US theatres, but Drive is by far his best film. Drive is probably the closest thing to the Matrix considering the science fiction, martial arts, and action aspect. I still feel Matrix was overall a better movie, but the martial art display of Mark Dacascos in Drive totally outshines anything Keanu ever did. Mark plays Toby Wong who is running from a powerful Red China corporation because he is carrying a special big-tech bio-weapon prototype inside his chest, which they want back. The device greatly improves his physical performance, speed and reactions and is worth millions of dollars. Kadeem Harrison who plays Malik Brody gets caught in the middle of all this and ends up being on the run with Toby. The interactions between these two are very reminincent of Rush Hour. For once, Kadeem is not that annoying and provides some good humour and Mark acts like a total foreigner. They head towards LA to find buyers that will pay 5 million dollars for the device, which Toby and Malik will split. Bunch of baddies are sent after them, and what you get is martial arts galore. Mark is in total top form here and shows probably his best stuff. This movie started off kind of pg-13ish, but the rated R violence started to show after awhile and it is such a guilty pleasure. This film is probably the first or one of the very few Hong Kong style movie that was filmed in America that was filmed right. Which version to get? The only version of Drive you should get is the Region 2 PAL version. This version is by the Hong Kong Legends distributors and is remastered (audio and video) and most importantly it is uncut. The American version, if you can find it, has approx. 16 minutes of footage taken out. What footage, I have no clue, but who wants a cut film especially if its 16 minutes of probably action footage? All I can say is that this is an awesome movie to own, and it should get more recognition. It was the winner of Minami Toshiko (critics) award at the Yubari International Fantastic Adventure Film Festival and also Winner of Best International Film Award at the 3rd Annual Fant-Asia Festival in Montreal etching out Jackie Chan's Drunken Master 2 that year. Of course, I still think Drunken Master 2 is better, but it gives you an idea how great Drive is as well. Go check it out!!! Other great Mark Dacascos films are Crying Freeman (awesome), Brotherhood of the Wolf, and Only the Strong...hope this and my other HK movie reviews are helpful...laters

Today,with the success of a film like "the matrix",this low budget gem would be lining them up in the video stores-but...and this is the sad truth...it arrived too soon-this fun,exciting action flick has been overlooked due to bad distribution,producer indifference and all the other problems that plague small ventures like these-it's a shame-star mark dacascos could give jet li a run-or leap- for his money(much less psuedo martial artist keanu reeves)and can speak english!Director steve wang has deserved a shot at the big time for some years now-he obviously has the hong kong style down and even adds his own style of action/humor(to rival jackie chan)-there are too many films and too many millions being wasted on hollywood's idea of martial arts action(norris/segal/van damme/etc.)and talented people like this get ignored-films like "drive" and "crying freeman"(also starring dacascos-and this one can't even get an american release!-even after outdoing blockbuster american action movies in france and japan!)deserve a second chance-hell-they deserve a 1st chance at the kind of exposure that dozens of tired big budget hollywood action flicks get every day!-

This movie is a Tour De Force for Mark Dacascos. You get to see him show everything that he has only shown glimpses of before. If you think Bruce Lee is fast, you haven't seen anything yet. Jet Li wishes he could be this acrobatic. Considering this is Mark's first attempt at a full fledged Hong Kong style action film, he is truly amazing not only in the fact that he pulls it off so well, but that he pulls it off better than the people who have been doing it for much longer. Even the most seasoned martial arts fan will find themselves saying wow more than once.

The story centers around Mark's character, Toby Wong, escaping China and coming to America to have a biological uprgrade surgically planted in his chest remeoved. It increases the power of the person it's in. One shouldn't expect anything enlightening from the script, it's meant to be a vehicle (pun, semi intended) for showing off martial arts action. But there is a scene in the director's cut where Mark shows his acting range. It involved Toby discussing his relationship with his girlfriend, which I won't reveal so as to not ruin things. It also succeeds in being incredibly funny, with Mark playing the straight man to Kadeem Hardison's character. The rest of the cast get's in some good lines too and if you're not a snob who expects all your movies to have subtitles and deal with subject matter that would be deemed garbage if it was the same product made in Hollywood minus the captions, then this is a movie for you.

I highly recommend seeking out the versions that are uncut or have the deleted scenes and interviews. There's some extra action, but most of it involves showing the backstory on the characters as well as additionl humorous scenes. The only thing that bothers me is that the music that was in the cut version is more intersting to me. There's not much info available on the recent re-release of this movie and it appears to not have any extras. Look for the cover that show's Mark and Kadeem in a full body shot if you want the special edition.

In watching a movie like DRIVE, one has to be in awe of the amount of work the fight choreographer has to do in such a film. DRIVE is action packed from the beginning, in reality one big long kickfest. But Mark Dacascos is awesome to watch and his silent, grim countenance melts at times into a boyish grin; his work with Kadeem Hardison is fun to watch, and Brittany Murphy's Deliverance is one of the funniest femme fatales to grace the screen. Alternately goofy and attempting to be sexually alluring, Murphy is a doll and buoys the movie significantly. John Pyper Ferguson as the nasty assassin is both chilling and hilarious; the movie moves at lightning pace and is one big thrill to watch!

I first came across this movie one night, flipping through the movie channels late into the AM. I recognized Mark Dacascos from Only the Strong (which I loved), and kept watching.

And I could not turn away.

Mark Dacascos is a phenomenal martial artist, and this is one of very few movies that really just allowed him to go all out, and use all his skills. Only the Strong is another one. Movies like Kickboxer 5, Cradle to the Grave, and others only show off a tiny, tiny bit of what this guy is capable of. If you want to see the true extent of his talent - watch THIS movie.

The fight scenes are amazing, the choreography is unbelievable, and the story isn't bad. I love this movie.

Fun fact: this was Brittany Murphy's very first movie.

If all you have ever seen of Mark Dacascos is his villanous role in CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE, then DRIVE is as good a place as any to see him as the hero. It ranks up with ONLY THE STRONG, REDEMPTION: KICKBOXER 5, and BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF as Mark's one of, if not the best of Mark's films.

DRIVE is often compared to Jackie Chan's RUSH HOUR. While it's clear that DRIVE is greatly influenced by Jackie Chan's Hong Kong pics, I found it more comparable to CHILL FACTOR.
The story begins as our hero Toby Wong (Mark Dacascos) arrives in San Francisco from Hong Kong, attempting to escape his slavery to a Hong Kong assassin ring. He has a "bio-engine" inside his chest that greatly inhances his physicality, and has learned that he can earn $5 million from an American coporation to is interested in buying the chip. Naturally, Wong's superiors don't want this, and have sent some goons after him. Wong kidnaps Malik Brody (Kadeem Hardison) to DRIVE him to L.A., and insures Malik's cooperation by offering a 50% cut.

DRIVE takes the best parts of Jackie Chan's movies and shows them to an American audience. For example, The lengthy brawl in the motel garage I found reminiscent of the auto-test center finale in TWIN DRAGONS. Also, the excellent final match between Mark and Masaya Kato follows the Jackie Chan tradition of the fighters being so evenly matched that their duel goes back and forth to the point where you just don't know who will win.

Even Mark plowing an opponent down on a Motorcycle is something of a tradition in kung fu movies (it's been seen in POLICE STORY, RAPID FIRE, IN THE LINE OF DUTY IV,etc.)

And the comedy in DRIVE in every way matches the action, so do yourself a favor, and check out DRIVE for Kadeem Hardison's comedy and Mark Dacascos' FISTS OF FURY.

I first saw Mark Dacascos in the movie Only the Strong in which he had some pretty decent moves but when I saw this my jaw dropped. This movie is just crazy! Dacascos shows that in this movie he can move just as fast as the other martial arts heavyweights which is now paying off with his role in Brotherhood of the Wolf. He is very acrobatic combining alot of moves from alot of different styles. Though the not so good plot of this movie only takes up maybe 20% of this movie, believe me the other 80% of fighting is off the hook. Get this movie and keep your eyes open for Mark I have a feeling his popularity is going to rise.

For American Martial-Arts fans, this version is probably the only way to go. Mark Dacascos is awesome as renegade Toby Wong, a man with a "bio-engine" attached to his heart. His improved physical capabilities give a good excuse for many exciting martial arts sequences that are as close to Jackie Chan as you will get in a western movie. Kadeem Hardison ("Dwayne Wayne") lends support as the comic sidekick, and does a good job. Brittany Murphy (Clueless) is pretty much wasted in her role as a wacky teen, but runs with her material as far as it will carry her (and damn, is she hot while she does that!). John-Pyper Ferguson should be happy he didn't sustain permanent damage to his jaw for chewing the scenery so much, but it fits in with the film.

The real stars of this movie (apart from Dacascos, who is an impressive martial artist) are director Steve Wang, who has a firm grasp on the proceedings, and action director Koichi Sakamoto, who stages several hand-to-hand coflicts. Required viewing!!!!

I got this movie thinking it would be a regular martial arts action movie. I was disappointed in Mark from the movie Double Dragon because I knew he has skills (Mark was great in "Only the Strong"). I saw the movie and was blown away. Mark pulls out all the stops in this film. He uses technical and artistic blocks and punches really fast that you would have to watch it in slow motion to see the form. Each fight scene is well choreographed and the stunts were neat and a bit flashy. Imagine a Jackie Chan movie, then remove the goofy stuff and you get this. Plot is so-so, but who truly cares when it comes to these movies? Comedy wise, it was as entertaining as Ninja Turtles was, only with more profanity and some blood. Toby (Mark) is a Hong Kong agent and a prototype of some mechanism inside his upper body that helps him to be an incredible fighting machine. He wants out and hitches a ride on a boat to America. He is caught and gets away (this is where the movie begins). The 'bad guys' are after him and Toby runs into his sidekick (Kadeem Hardison - some guy I think I saw on the Cosby show once, funny attitude) and they try to get to LA to sell the mechanism, but they need to stay alive in the process. If this plot does not sound interesting enough, then the martial arts will make up for it.

This movie came out before the Matrix. In the movie some of the stunts towards the end use wire works in the action, but not ridiculously too much (a few weird scenes but they were short). The fight scenes start off well in the beginning and continue to get bigger and bigger towards the end. In the Matrix, Keanu annoyed me here and there. Mark proves to you that he should have been "the one".

If you care more about plot, then go for the Matrix. If want to see an actor who should have been Neo, see this movie.

Mark Dacascos at his best in this film. These great movies keep coming down in price. This would definitely be a movie to buy and not rent being that it is so cheap. If you like to collect movies and appreciate a good action film, you will love this movie. Get it for sure and you will not be dissapointed!