What seems like ages ago, BMW Films developed a series of short films, titled “The Hire“. There were eight short films altogether in that series and all featured Clive Owen (Children of Men) as a mysterious driver for hire that would undertake some shady tasks. The most famous of which is probably “Star“, which featured Owen as a driver for a spoiled and arrogant pop star (played by Madonna) and was directed by Guy Ritchie.
These films were not only great to watch, but they showcased BMWs as proper driver’s cars, exciting and dynamic. They were in car chases, doing stunts and were being driven at 10/10ths by this mysterious driver. It was no secret that BMW was trying to convey a specific message about its cars — they were meant for driving. In none of the films did they talk about luxury, technology or safety features. Instead, they focused on driving hard. It was all high-rpm, tire-screeching action.
Which is exactly why the news that BMW Films is bringing back Owen as the mysterious driver is incredibly exciting. BMW is back to showing off what its cars can do, showing the people that its cars are meant for driving hard and not just puttering around town. I can probably speak for all of us BMW fans when I say we’re sick of the Connected Drive and autonomous braking commercials. BMW’s aren’t about the gizmos and doodads that the driver can fiddle with. BMWs are for driving and acting like a bit of an ass in.
The new short film will be called “The Escape” and will feature Clive Owen, Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds), Jon Bernthal (The Punisher) and Vera Farmiga (The Departed). We recently showed you a quick teaser of the new short film and it looks incredibly exciting. Gunfire, car crashes and of course some excellent driving in a new BMW with Owen at the helm will be present. We don’t know for sure what car BMW will be featuring in this film, but we’re going to be it’s the new G30 BMW 5 Series.
In “Star”, Owen famously drove an E39 BMW M5 and it was the most iconic of all the films of that time. So it only makes sense to go with the new 5 Series, especially being that the new 5er will be unveiled around the same time as the video. And considering that we were just given a brief tease at the BMW M550i in the brand’s new commercial for autonomous driving aids, it could be that car.
We’re very excited to have BMW back making action-packed short films again, because it shows a side of BMW that’s been dormant for some time now. BMW is a brand built on action and excitement, so it’s great news that it will be showcasing that once again.
