O Passageiro das Trevas

This is another of the independent "gems", being upvoted by the "family and friends". Don't bother watching, this is an amateurish attempt at filmmaking. Acting is the least objectionable part of it, and it's not that good, so you can appreciate how fares the rest.

I first encountered DRIVEN, the quirky love child of COLLATERAL and SUPERNATURAL, as part of a film festival last year and immediately thought it was deserving of a wider audience. Casey Dillard's brisk, cleverly-batty script is served beautifully by Glenn Payne's steady direction and DP Michael Williams' obviously-keen eye. Yes, there are demons and the fate of humanity might be at stake, but the real treat here is the chemistry between Richard Speight Jr. ("Roger"), a mysterious loner with a whole bucket load of secrets, and Dillard herself ("Emerson"), a wannabe stand-up comedian working a ride-share night shift. The two actors banter back and forth, trading licks like virtuoso musicians, first antagonistically, and then ... well, watch the movie. The dialogue is sharp and witty and the two central performances are perfectly wrought.

The casting of the Speight (of the aforementioned SUPERNATURAL), who broods and charms in equal measure here, was a real stroke of brilliance by Payne. Speight's mere presence immediately conveys the tone for which Payne aspires (and achieves). Yes, to return to my initial comparison, the fun we have is more CW than Michael Mann, a refreshing, if all-too-fleeting, cool breeze of a film that whisks past you before you even realized how much you enjoyed it, but there is real craft and sturdy filmmaking on display here, from the script, to the cast, and right on up the line, made all the more impressive given that this is an independent film made a zillion miles away from studios and their resources. Payne succeeds in making a film that, effectively, takes place inside a car for 90 minutes completely and utterly engaging and, COLLATERAL comparison notwithstanding, it all feels fresh and uniquely-spun. That is no small task. Give DRIVEN a shot. After all, who couldn't use a rapid infusion of cool, fresh air right about now?

Initially, I must say that I didn't have much of any expectations for this 2019 movie titled "Driven" from writer Casey Dillard and director Glenn Payne.

But it was a movie that I hadn't seen already, and it is listed as a horror comedy here on IMDb, so of course I found the time to sit down and watch the movie.

While the movie is fairly limited, I mean in terms of the majority of the movie taking place around the vehicle that Emerson drives, it actually turned out to be rather enjoyable. This was mostly due to a rather interesting script from writer Casey Dillard, and some really nice acting by the two leads - that being Casey Dillard and Richard Speight Jr..

The horror aspect to the movie is more of a backdrop to help cement the storyline, so you shouldn't expect a grand masterpiece of horror cinema here. In fact, there was absolutely nothing scary about the movie, nor were there any jump scares.

The comedy is semi-subtle, but it works quite well. And I must say that things like broken talismans, spells gone awry, turd spoons and car air fresheners did help to add to the storyline.

"Driven" is not your average movie, and I think it might not land equally well with just everyone in the audience. I did enjoy it, however, and I am rating it a six out of ten stars.

Emerson (Casey Dillard) is a stand up comic who drives for Uber in a borrowed car. One crazy night, she picks up a strange man named Roger (Richard Speight, Independence Day/Band of Brothers). Soon, Emerson finds out more about the crazy man's mission and can't help but do her best to help. From there, the insanity begins...

A truly unique gem of a film, it clocks in as a brisk and perfectly timed 89 minutes. While I wouldn't mind spending more time with some of the characters here, it feels like the story is told well in its runtime. If any longer, the film could suffer from having large lulls or the dreaded middle third drag. Instead, it flows well from start to finish.

While clearly made on a modest budget, the film looks pretty damn good. The lighting works, the shots are framed well, and the films simply looks and feels crisp. Indie films with a great look to them always feel impressive, especially when they - like this one - actually look better than many more expensive studio films.

While Speight may be the only super recognizable face, the cast is fantastic, with he and Dillard really shining at the forefront. When you combine their performances with a strong script, great pacing, and that fantastic look of the scenes, you get a truly unique and worthwhile experience. Genre film fans will truly enjoy this one. Besides, in what other film will you ever get the chance to encounter a recurring joke about a "turd spoon"?

• Justin Harlan aka thepaintedman

Obviously a lot of friends of the people who made this film rated it ......there is no way this movie gets a 10...... IMPOSSIBLE!! Has nothing that deserves a 10.... nothing!! The dialogue is ok, the acting below average and there was no cinematography to rate it's all filmed in a car and not filmed that well. A couple of ok jokes but it's a home made camcorder movie with amateur actors.