← Back to Reviews
in
From 2001 to 2002, BMW Films produced a series of short films dubbed as The Hire to serve as some sort of elaborate car ads. The premise of the shorts feature a nameless driver (Clive Owen) being hired by different clients for various tasks. The short films were notably directed by directors like Ang Lee, Wong Kar-wai, John Woo, and others, while also featuring prominent stars like Forest Whitaker, Madonna, and Don Cheadle, among many others.
Beat the Devil is the eight of this series, and it features the Driver accompanying James Brown to meet the Devil (Gary Oldman) as he tries to renegotiate a deal he made with him in his youth for fame and fortune in exchange for his soul. Now older and not able to "do the splits anymore", Brown wants an "extension", but the Devil wants to race for it, which serves as the excuse to have our Driver drive a BMW Z4 real fast down Las Vegas Strip.
I had no idea about the existence of these shorts until a Twitter friend brought it to my attention. It features the usual hyper-kinetic direction by Scott, full of fast-paced cuts and a sensory overload of visuals and sound, which I'm sometimes on the fence about. But what makes it work are the performances of Oldman and Brown. Both give committed and entertaining performances to what is otherwise a glorified "car ad", but they make it interesting to watch.
Grade:
BEAT THE DEVIL
(2002, Scott)
Freebie
(2002, Scott)
Freebie
"I like a wager, but I like the concept of 'winner take all'."
From 2001 to 2002, BMW Films produced a series of short films dubbed as The Hire to serve as some sort of elaborate car ads. The premise of the shorts feature a nameless driver (Clive Owen) being hired by different clients for various tasks. The short films were notably directed by directors like Ang Lee, Wong Kar-wai, John Woo, and others, while also featuring prominent stars like Forest Whitaker, Madonna, and Don Cheadle, among many others.
Beat the Devil is the eight of this series, and it features the Driver accompanying James Brown to meet the Devil (Gary Oldman) as he tries to renegotiate a deal he made with him in his youth for fame and fortune in exchange for his soul. Now older and not able to "do the splits anymore", Brown wants an "extension", but the Devil wants to race for it, which serves as the excuse to have our Driver drive a BMW Z4 real fast down Las Vegas Strip.
I had no idea about the existence of these shorts until a Twitter friend brought it to my attention. It features the usual hyper-kinetic direction by Scott, full of fast-paced cuts and a sensory overload of visuals and sound, which I'm sometimes on the fence about. But what makes it work are the performances of Oldman and Brown. Both give committed and entertaining performances to what is otherwise a glorified "car ad", but they make it interesting to watch.
Grade: