Cleary a massive influence on such high-octane fare as Nicolas Winding Refn’s ‘Drive’ and Edgar Wright’s ‘Baby Driver’, Walter Hill’s 1978 noir car chase picture ‘The Driver’ is released theatrically in a spanking 4K restoration on 11th November (with a lovely new poster to boot) and it will be available on Steelbook, UHD, DVD and Digital from 5th December.

Set in a seedy nocturnal LA, it stars Ryan O’Neal as the enigmatic titular getaway driver who has never been caught. Bruce Dern, at his most appealingly unappealing, is the obsessive Detective setting elaborate traps to catch him, while Isabelle Adjani is the mysterious beauty who goes along for the thrill of the ride.

Hill who had worked on Steve McQueen’s ‘Bullit’ a decade earlier and knew his way around a car chase, evidenced by a number of nerve-rattling chase sequences. Classic 70s US cinema at its most cynical and austere – too austere from some critics at the time in fact, so this comes as a welcome chance to revaluate.

The Driver is out now theatrically and will be available to rent/own from 5th December.