Driven review

It's somewhat fitting that Sylvester Stallone should make his big comeback with Driven.

With his box-office appeal in the pits, Renny Harlin's souped-up racing car pic is the perfect vehicle to re-establish Stallone as a credible action hero. Basically, it's Rocky in a crash helmet at 195 mph. Unfortunately, somebody filled the petrol tank with four-star cliches and character development stalls in first gear.

Rookie racing car driver Jimmy Bly (Pardue) is a dazzling talent and seems destined for great things under the watchful eye of car owner Carl Henry (Reynolds). But Jimmy's promoter brother (Leonard) pushes him incredibly hard and the pressure is beginning to take its toll. Jimmy is slipping down the rankings.

In desperation, Henry turns to retired driver Joe Tanto (Stallone) for guidance. Tanto quit the sport after a near fatal spin which almost killed him and another driver. Facing the demons of the past, Joe attempts to guide Jimmy to championship glory, accelerating past nemesis Beau Brandenburg (Schweiger).

Harlin resurrected Stallone's career back in 1993 with the vertiginous thrills and spills of Cliffhanger. In Driven, he litters the racetrack with collisions and spectacular crashes, employing the wonders of special effects to engulf the screen in flames and twisted metal.

Cars zoom past the camera in a blur, as rivals' cars spin through the air in balletic slow motion, while the soundtrack pumps up the volume. Stallone's screenplay keeps dialogue to the bare minimum, which ensures plenty of edge-of-seat action but meagre characterisation.

Drivers are all two-dimensional archetypes, and the decision to have two heroes - Joe and Jimmy - vying for our affections is distracting. Stallone still can't act, Reynolds hams it up like a veteran and Pardue pouts almost as convincingly as the forgettable female characters.

As long as you leave your brain in neutral, Driven delivers a mildly entertaining joyride.