{"id":673,"date":"2018-11-30T05:44:47","date_gmt":"2018-11-30T05:44:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/patrickfabian.com\/news\/?p=673"},"modified":"2018-11-30T05:44:47","modified_gmt":"2018-11-30T05:44:47","slug":"driverx-review-behind-the-wheel-and-ready-for-anything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/patrickfabian.com\/news\/driverx-review-behind-the-wheel-and-ready-for-anything\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018DriverX\u2019 Review: Behind the Wheel and Ready for Anything"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Ben Kenigsberg<\/p>\n

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Athough the protagonist of\u00a0\u201cDriverX\u201d<\/a>\u00a0inhabits a less seedy urban space than Travis Bickle, he has his own dark night(s) of the soul. With property taxes due, the former record store owner Leonard Moore (Patrick Fabian, \u201cBetter Call Saul\u201d) turns to making peanuts as a driver for DriverX \u2014 a fictional rideshare service that the writer and director, Henry Barrial, drew from his experiences cabbing for Uber.<\/p>\n

His knowledge has clearly informed the film, which teems with details that feel lived-through. As Leonard crisscrosses Los Angeles, passengers reveal intimate information, talk as if he weren\u2019t there, befriend him and abuse his hospitality. The trick to getting good reviews, apparently, is to leave bottles of water and breath fresheners for drunken fares.<\/p>\n

While a conventional movie might push Leonard toward danger, \u201cDriverX\u201d confidently inhabits a more ambiguous space. The 1970s-style title card signals an affinity with the character studies of the New Hollywood. And \u201cDriverX\u201d is a portrait not only of the 21st-century \u201csharing economy\u201d but also of Leonard\u2019s marriage. Tanya Clarke plays his wife, initially the only one he tells about the driving gig. Their relationship is tested by the new schedule.<\/p>\n

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Though Barrial lacks the panache of a Martin Scorsese or a Michael Mann (whose \u201cCollateral\u201d may inform the proceedings as much as \u201cTaxi Driver\u201d), he conjures a subtly chilling mood from the nocturnal light bouncing off the Prius glass. This is not a perfect film, and features maybe one wild night too many. But its outlook \u2014 optimistic about human nature yet cynical about the times \u2014 lingers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n