ShelbyTMItchell This is not as good as the first series as the second series is directed by Ridley and the late Tony Scott brothers. As it returns Clive Owen as the Driver. As he must help the feds track down a kidnapped woman in a car. Only linked by her cellphone in the trunk.While the feds get the kidnapper, he is the one that has to do all of the dirty work in tracking her down. Despite cops going after him. He manages to track her down before she drowns. And as the kidnapper is in a coma about to die, after he shot himself in the head while being nabbed by the feds.Still not as good as in the first series. But you have to love that car afterwards a Z Roadster!

TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews You can almost always rely on John Woo to deliver great action... Face/Off and those of his films that were made before he went Hollywood, especially those featuring Chow Yun-Fat(or so I've heard; have only seen Face/Off myself) are great and popular for his unique brand of cool, stylish action. His use of slow-motion in action sequences are especially popular; here, he delivers as well... but one can't help but think about whether or not Woo(or anyone else, for that matter) actually read the script. There are quite an impressive amount of glaringly obvious plot holes for such a short action flick... but I suppose what we're supposed to pay attention to is the car(this is a commercial, after all) and its capabilities... though I think many of them are exaggerated, at least slightly, in this. The acting isn't particularly good, but Clive Owen is still great as The Driver... not that one would expect anything else from him. The action is pretty cool, that I must admit. And it somehow manages to overshadow the numerous holes in the fairly thin plot. All in all, worth a single watch, for car freaks. But not much more. I recommend it to big fans of Woo and the commercials, as well as car fanatics. 7/10

Angry_Arguer I don't know who in BMW is responsible for the "Hire" series but this is the best advertising I've ever seen. No longer are we bombarded with logos and SELL SELL SELL BUY BUY BUY images. Rather, we get a nifty little story that really doesn't make much sense, but it's all in good fun. Other companies need to try this approach.

Fred M. Hung In their latest quarterly report, BMW recently cited higher than expected launch costs associated with the new Z4. From looking at films like Hostage and Ticker, it's easy to understand why.Hostage is a new breed of action shorts. By assembling John Woo's Hollywood A-list production crew, BMW along with Scott brothers Ridley and Tony have blended film and commercial into seemless product placement.The premise of Hostage is not exactly treading on new ground. A disgruntled employee is holding his former employer in the trunk of his car, and high tide threatens to drown her unless the FBI, with help from Clive Owen's The Driver, delivers $5 million.Woo's slick direction and gift of tension plays very well. Hostage is a taut thriller that both entertains and product places the new BMW Z4. No doubt the Driver films has already catapulted Clive Owen's career.For those who question BMW's business acumen, consider how many car commercials lay casualty to the Fast Forward button. BMW has correctly identified his target demographic, high end yuppies with disposable income and broadband connection, and created an not easily forgettable product placement. Doubting Thomas' out there can surf the BMWfilms website for other shorts like Powderkeg and Ticker. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.As for the car itself, well, if only it were a Bull market....