Plot
Halfway through the alternate 2000 Champ Car Season, Jimmy Bly’s success has drawn the ire of defending champion Beau Brandenburg. Brandenburg believes his fiancée, Sophia Simone, is a distraction from his racing. After breaking up with Sophia, Brandenburg regains his winning streak at Chicago.
As Brandenburg returns to form, Jimmy’s team owner, Carl Henry, becomes concerned about driving errors, seeing parallels to former driver Joe Tanto. Henry convinces Tanto to come out of retirement to mentor Jimmy, replacing teammate Memo Moreno. Despite this, Joe and Moreno remain friends. Meanwhile, Sophia meets Jimmy at a bar, and they begin to form a bond.
In Canada, Jimmy leads, with Brandenburg close behind. Unable to pull away, Carl Henry orders Joe Tanto to pit and block Brandenburg, allowing Jimmy to win. Jimmy’s brother/business manager, Demille, disapproves of Joe’s mentoring, suggesting he should only act as a blocker. Joe urges Brandenburg to reconcile with Sophia, while Jimmy’s growing bond with Sophia causes him to lose form and crash in Japan.
At a party in Chicago, Brandenburg and Sophia reconcile, disappointing Jimmy. Sophia apologizes to Jimmy, who lashes out, then takes a new car and races out of the convention center. Joe chases him in another car, eventually calming him down.
In Germany, Carl Henry reinstates Memo Moreno while having Joe mentor Jimmy from the pit lane. During a race in the rain, Jimmy and Brandenburg battle for first. Jimmy needs one more win for the championship, and Moreno is instructed to block for him. However, Cathy Heguy convinces Moreno to go for the win, resulting in a collision with Jimmy and a crash into a lake. Jimmy and Brandenburg rescue Moreno from the burning car.
Angered that Jimmy sacrificed his championship hopes, Carl Henry decides to replace him with Brandenburg for the coming season, negotiating a deal with Demille. Brandenburg rejects the contract, and Sophia punches Demille for his past treatment of her. Jimmy is initially barred from competing due to a foot injury, but Carl eventually clears him after he passes a strength test. Jimmy thanks both Sophia and Brandenburg for refusing his brother’s deal.
At the season finale in Detroit, Jimmy and Brandenburg contend for the championship. With Moreno hospitalized, Joe races again as Jimmy’s teammate. In the final laps, Joe takes the lead but damages his front suspension, preventing him from winning. Jimmy, inspired by Joe’s words, narrowly beats Brandenburg and wins the championship.
Sylvester Stallone became interested in making a racing film while working on Judge Dredd in Europe. He initially intended to make a film based on Formula One, but this plan was dropped. Stallone said he wrote about twenty-five drafts of the script. He described the film as autobiographical, noting that racing is like the world of acting, with front runners, supporting actors, and the need to learn you can’t always be number one. Stallone stated it took four years to secure financing for the film. Renny Harlin, who had previously worked with Stallone on Cliffhanger, signed on to direct after a project on Ayrton Senna fell through.
Filming took place primarily in Toronto, Canada, from July 6, 2000, to October 12, 2000, and at various CART-sanctioned races. The German race scene was filmed at a test track in Hanover, not the actual Lausitzring oval. Dustin Hoffman made a brief, uncredited cameo during a scene where Joe Tanto arrives at a race. Matt Hullum of Rooster Teeth Productions fame was the visual effects producer.
Reception
Driven was a commercial failure, grossing only $32 million against a $72 million budget. It was Stallone’s first number-one opening film since Cop Land in 1997. The film received generally negative reviews, with a 14% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics cited underdeveloped characters, a silly plot, and obvious CGI effects. Roger Ebert called the film “mostly preposterous” and criticized the editing and lack of character conflict. Jay Leno and Richard Roeper described it as the worst car film ever made. Stallone himself has stated he regrets making the film. Director Renny Harlin later reflected critically on the film, acknowledging creative interference and a lack of cohesion.
Accolades
Driven earned seven nominations at the 22nd Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. Estella Warren won Worst Supporting Actress for her role in the film.
A video game based on the film was released in 2001 for the Game Boy Advance, GameCube, and PlayStation 2.