Hostage

Wow. This is yet another of the series of 8 brilliant short films commissioned by BMW that were released on the internet in 2001 and 2002. Apparently, somebody at the car maker had a butt-load of money and spent it assembling some of the top directors in the world (such as John Frankenheimer, Ang Lee and Wong Kar Wai) and gave them HUGE budgets and often top acting talent to make these shorts. Not surprisingly, a BMW is featured prominently in each short--in this case the tiny Z4. In addition, playing a James Bond-like hero (and anti-hero in one) is Clive Owen in all eight films!

This one was directed by John Woo and I almost gave it a 10--it sure came darn close! Why was I so impressed? Well, because although all the films are great, this one is more like an entire full-length film shoved into only about 8 minutes! It manages to convey a heck of a lot and provide lots of twists in this tiny time frame. Tense, ironic and heart-pounding--this is definitely a must-see.

Those words pretty much start off this nine minute BMW commercial with Clive Owen back as "The Driver."

He must race to help a kidnapped victim escape from the trunk of a car with only a cell phone to talk to her.

Famed Hong Kong director John Woo made this film, and that's pretty surprising considering it IS basically one long commercial.

But I'll be darned if it isn't one of the best commercials I've ever seen.

4/5 stars -

John Ulmer

In their latest quarterly report, BMW recently cited higher than expected launch costs associated with the new Z4. From looking at films like Hostage and Ticker, it's easy to understand why.

Hostage is a new breed of action shorts. By assembling John Woo's Hollywood A-list production crew, BMW along with Scott brothers Ridley and Tony have blended film and commercial into seemless product placement.

The premise of Hostage is not exactly treading on new ground. A disgruntled employee is holding his former employer in the trunk of his car, and high tide threatens to drown her unless the FBI, with help from Clive Owen's The Driver, delivers $5 million.

Woo's slick direction and gift of tension plays very well. Hostage is a taut thriller that both entertains and product places the new BMW Z4. No doubt the Driver films has already catapulted Clive Owen's career.

For those who question BMW's business acumen, consider how many car commercials lay casualty to the Fast Forward button. BMW has correctly identified his target demographic, high end yuppies with disposable income and broadband connection, and created an not easily forgettable product placement. Doubting Thomas' out there can surf the BMWfilms website for other shorts like Powderkeg and Ticker. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

As for the car itself, well, if only it were a Bull market....

Do not watch any of these films if you are expecting intricate plot or thought-provoking messages or deep characters. If you want a guy driving the BMW du jour around really fast, by all means watch this series of shorts.

In Hostage, the BMW du jour is the Z4. The chase is classic John Woo material, and the plot is simply stuck onto it, almost as an afterthought. That doesn't really matter, though. You can still enjoy it. It is a very good car chase.

In fact, it's fair to say this is not so much a short film as a very long BMW commercial. It works very well. I wanted to buy a Z4 after watching it, so I could drive around like a psycho. The movie makes it look fun, and it makes you have fun while watching it.

I don't know who in BMW is responsible for the "Hire" series but this is the best advertising I've ever seen. No longer are we bombarded with logos and SELL SELL SELL BUY BUY BUY images. Rather, we get a nifty little story that really doesn't make much sense, but it's all in good fun. Other companies need to try this approach.