Doomtomylo
a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
Teddie Blake
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Marva-nova
Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
Mr-Fusion
At present, "Drive Hard" has a 4.5/10 rating on IMDb and a 1-star Netflix rating, which will probably leave you with visions of a trainwreck. Best case scenario, it's an entertaining one (like "Drive Angry"). But this is not in that league."Collateral" came to mind when Jane and Cusack psycho analyze each other in the car, but that's not a flattering comparison. Any actual characterization is buried under their tired buddy-comedy/drama/action . . . thing. The car chases have no tension, the leads share zero chemistry and they both look like they want to be far away from this (Cusack especially). The best I can say about this is "Eh, I've seen worse", but what kind of compliment is that? It's really not all that bad, I guess, just tepid and ineffectual.4/10
Dessler1
I have been a member of IMDb for 10 years and never written a review on here before but I needed to say something about this pile of crap. Drive Hard was available on Sky Movies Demand and I saw Cusack and Jane attached to it so I thought that sounds cool and wondered why I had never heard of it. I love Cusack since I was a kid back in the 80s and Thomas Jane was awesome in The Punisher so I had a real shock when watching the first 5 mins (yes 5 mins) and could see why I had never heard of it. This film (if you can call it a film) was one of the worst movies (along with 'Dude Where's My Car' and 'Operation Endgame') that I've ever seen. I couldn't even finish it after watching 30 minutes, as I felt my brain was turning into mush. Seriously Cusack what were you thinking??The acting was very bad, the script was not well written, the camera work was shoddy (some of the actors faces especially Jane looked so odd like they had skin conditions) and the comedy wasn't funny at all.I saw the trailer straight after switching off to see how they portrayed it and it is deceiving as they put all the action in but hardly anyone speaking because the other actors could not act at all. I watch all types of films from the classics, interesting and intelligent to the daft, silly and ridiculous and enjoy them all. I like to give movies a chance, but this was too much. If I could have given a zero I would have, but it is a 1 out of 10 for me.
Tony Heck
"You didn't hire me, you kidnapped me." Peter Roberts (Jane) is a former race car driver who gave up his dream because his new wife didn't like it. He now spends his days giving driving lessons to teenagers. When Simon Keller (Cusack) shows up for a lesson Roberts isn't excited about the way he drives and takes the keys. When they stop at a bank so Keller can get money to pay he runs out with cops after him and tells Roberts to drive. Now Roberts is wanted has an accomplice but Keller says he will be able to make sure Roberts goes free but he has to help first. Going in I was thinking (probably like you) a movie with Cusack and Jane, woo hoo. Going off that expectation I was disappointed. The main problem with this movie is that is isn't consistent at all. Some parts are very exciting and entertaining while others are so slow moving I found my mind wandering. Surprisingly the best part of this movie is the dialog and interaction between Cusack and Jane. All of the action sequences are repetitive and generic. For a movie that talks about car racing there is really only one chase and it's not a very good one at all. There really isn't a whole lot else to say about this one. Overall, the reason to watch is the interaction between Cusack and Jane. It's actually almost better to just skip to those scenes and skip the rest of the movie. I was very disappointed with this. I give it a C.
Robert W.
Think of this in the mid-late 1980's and you would have a cult classic on your hands today. This is the sort of buddy-criminal movie you just don't see anymore. Fast cars, chases, shoot-outs, one liners, gratuitous bad language...the 80's lover in me had to at least be entertaining by this straight to video entry. It isn't brilliant by any means and it falls short in many respects but for what it is, its fun and wild and the vitally important chemistry between the leads works pretty well. This is the sort of drive-in fluff that you can sit back and enjoy. If you try to dissect it then it falls apart and you'll hate it. Its nothing more than 70's/80's era fluff and I'm okay with that. Some of the performances (especially the supporting cast) is downright cheesy and I would have expected them to use the Australian backdrop a lot more. I am a huge fan of Australian horror films but how often do we get an action type film out of there and I really would expect any good director or cinematographer to utilize the beautiful and often rugged countryside and we don't get a lot of that.The film features two actors I've always enjoyed. I think John Cusack has built up a solid fan base and he has had some bonified huge success. The problem is that as of late he's a had a strong of straight to DVD films for some reason. Now that being said, all of those movies that I've seen have been at least okay. If I had paid to see Drive Hard in the theatre I wouldn't have disappointed. Its a tried and true popcorn type flick so why not! Cusack is decent and plays a typical role for him as a bank robber with a little edge. Its far from his best role and there is very little depth to his character but it works and his charisma is good enough to make it watchable. Thomas Jane is sort of hit and miss with roles too but I actually thought he was really good in this. He's a former race car drive who gets inadvertently recruited by Cusack and suddenly the two men are on the run together. Their back and forth banter works well and their chemistry is good. Its not amazing...its not Mel Gibson/Danny Glover but it keeps the pace going and will certainly at least make you laugh a few times. Jane is manic and excitable and fun to watch. The supporting cast are all pretty good but there is a lot of them and they sort of get buried in the process of the plot. Zoe Ventoura plays a good solid and little bit campy role as Agent Walker. I think they could have done a lot more with her role but it is what it is. Damien Garvey, Christopher Morris and Jesse Spence are all good but very underused in the film. The film makers and writers spent so much time focusing on the slapstick camaraderie of the two leads that they forget about supporting cast and the plot feels slapped together and forced sometimes. Its unfortunate because they are on to something here.Director Brian Trenchard-Smith is not new to directing. He's been around a long time and he's done some great TV and some even better cult classics. In a less experienced director's hands this probably would have been a Grade A disaster. He holds it together very well and fortunately the charisma of both of the leads makes this at least passable and gives it a fun cult feel to it. Without our director and Cusack and Jane, this probably would have been barely even watchable. I'm still not sure about the twists and turns to the plot and even if I got any of it but I'm also quite sure that I don't care. It was fun and wild and the car chases were well shot and didn't feel like regurgitated Fast and The Furious scenes which isn't easy to do nowadays. You have to go in with low expectations because it is what it is. But if you turn your brain off, pop some popcorn and just sit back and let the zany story take hold...you might have some fun. 6.5/10
