DVD Corner

The Accidental Getaway Driver Review

“The Accidental Getaway Driver” feels like two different movies.

Inspired by true events, “The Accidental Getaway Driver” is a Southern California set crime drama that revolves around a lonely, elderly Vietnamese taxi driver (Long). After making a grocery store run, Long reluctantly takes a call to pick up 3 men (Tȃy, Aden and Edward). The 3 suspicious men turn out to be escaped prisoners who hold Long hostage at gunpoint. Just when you think it might turn into a tense hostage drama, however, the story veers into dramatic territory as Tȃy (who is also Vietnamese) begins to form an unexpected bond with Long.

Having first premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, director Sing J. Lee’s (who also co-wrote the film alongside Christopher Chen) “The Accidental Getaway Driver” is finally being released 2 years later. While it was well received at the time, the frustrating film feels like two separate movies rolled into one. The initial set-up gives the assumption that this would be a suspenseful thriller, but there’s never any suspense. The pacing is sluggish, there’s a lack of urgency, the direction is overly arty, and the main character (Long) is such a quiet and introspective soul that it makes it hard for the film to gain any traction. As ‘Driver’ becomes more of a character drama it starts to fare better as Long becomes a sort of father figure to Tȃy. Moreover, the distrust and drama between the 3 criminals starts to escalate which gives the film some much needed conflict.

At the same time, you really wanted more from the character of Long. Outside of conversations with Tȃy, much of what we learn about the man are through dream-like flashbacks. We do see how the experience changes Long in the end, but even that feels short changed. Similarly, the 3 criminals have moments of characterization (especially Tȃy), but you’re also wanting to know more about them as well. For a story that is primarily about these 4 hiding out together, you’d figure there would be ample opportunity to explore these characters in greater depth. Instead, it all feels a bit underdeveloped as Sing J. Lee seems more concerned with flashy visuals and touching on greater themes about humanity, loneliness, immigrants, violence, the past, and change.

Despite his often silent performance, Hiêp Trằn Nghĩa gives an understated and soulful performance as Long. Dustin Nguyen gives the film’s best performance as Tȃy. His scenes with Long are far and away the highlight of the entire film.

Utopia’s “The Accidental Getaway Driver” releases on digital platforms like Apple TV and Amazon April 8th.

April 8, 2025 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Movie Review | The Accidental Getaway Driver Movie Review, The Accidental Getaway Driver Review