The Hire: A Series of Eight Short Films

The BMW AG company got the audacious idea in the early aughts to make a series of short films, promoting their various cars, for the internet. These films, all starring Clive Owen as “The Driver”, utilized prominent film directors and actors, no expense spared. There’s a surprising range of talent involved in The Hire and the amount of entertainment they provide makes them more than just an experiment in branding. Clive Owen, who’d been made famous by his lead in Croupier (1998), was about to ride a wave of superior films (though his trajectory has fallen in the teens) and credibly played his role with droll coolness.

“Ambush” starts off the series directed by a logical choice, John Frankenheimer, who’d previously directed amazing car footage in Grand Prix (1966) and Ronin (1998). Made shortly before Frankenheimer’s death, “Ambush” has The Driver helping a passenger who claims he’s swallowed some sought-after diamonds escape a following van of armed and shooting thugs. The choreography of the warring vehicles is astounding and the passenger is played by Tomas Milian, a character actor who’s worked in the business so long that he once collaborated with Jean Cocteau.

“Chosen”, with The Driver delivering a holy Asian boy from dockside to a monk’s abode, is slight, but ends with a fun in-joke by the director, Ang Lee and the ill-fated Marvel superhero movie he directed. The boy is played by Ang Lee’s son, Mason. “Chosen” also features a crackerjack dockside chase scene incorporating shipping crates stacked into a maze-like labyrinth.

“The Follow”, directed by Wong Kar-wai, is more introspective and moody. A manager played by Forest Whitaker convinces The Driver to be hired by an abusive husband and actor (Mickey Rourke) to follow his wife (Brazilian model and actress Adriana Lima). The Driver does, and eventually quits the assignment out of moral duty.

“Star” is the least of this set, not surprising as it’s directed by the mediocre Guy Ritchie. The Driver’s assigned to give a rough, lesson enducing ride to a spoiled star, played by Madonna. It’s a one-note deal.

“Powder Keg” is helmed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, 2014 and The Revenant, 2015), a stark tale of The Driver rescuing a wounded war photographer (Stellan Skarsgård) from a hostile military. He eventually makes his way to the home of the photographer’s mother (Lois Smith). The documentary-like cinematography pulls you in, looking more like a feature film than a throwaway short.

“Hostage” is also filmed with a heightened style, par for the course for John Woo. The Driver’s search for a hostage victim may be the most suspenseful short of the lot, with a seedy villain (Maury Chaykin, of the Nero Wolfe Mystery series) and a countdown to death.

Also revving up the suspense is the all-star “Ticker”, with The Driver trying to deliver a wounded man carrying a mysterious suitcase (Don Cheadle) while avoiding an attacking helicopter. Joe Carnahan (The Blacklist) writes, directs and uses cameos by Ray Liotta, F. Murray Abraham, Robert Patrick and Dennis Haysbert (the latter two were both to star later in David Mamet’s The Unit).

The smile inducing “Beat the Devil” finishes off the series with a flourish. The Driver picks up James Brown, on his way to renegotiate a deal with the Devil (played with relish by Gary Oldman). A new wager is proposed, which of course depends on a drag race: The Driver’s BMW Z4 3.0i vs. Satan’s Pontiac Firebird. Tony Scott directs. Danny Trejo (Machete)’s the Devil’s assistant. Marilyn Manson has a funny cameo.

The Hire series eventually became too expensive to continue, even though BMW sales rose 12% after the debut of the series. The series could have been a wreck, but top talent with relative freedom made it a thrill ride.

—Michael R. Neno, 2019 Jan 22