A New Cinematic Experience, Presented by BMW Films The Hire features big names, twisting plots and an array of stunning cars.In 2001, long before filmmakers had really pushed the Internet envelope, BMW launched a film series entitled The Hire. Created exclusively for online viewing, The Hire consists of eight short films (about 10 minutes each) perfected by critically acclaimed Hollywood directors and actor Clive Owen. Although its Internet run ended in 2005, The Hire was viewed over 100 million times, praised by the New York Times and awarded the Cyber Lion Grand Prix prize by the Cannes International Advertising Festival. Action-packed and aesthetically spectacular, The Hire proved that BMW knows how to create more than just luxurious, innovative cars – as if that weren’t enough.
Throughout the series, Clive Owen maintained his role as The Driver, constantly cruising in a variety of breathtaking BMWs. The Hire kicked off with the film Ambush, in which The Driver (seen in a delectable BMW 7 Series) is accosted by a group of armed men who threaten to attack an elderly man guilty of swallowing a large amount of stolen diamonds. After a car chase and shootout, director John Frankenheimer (known for films such as 1962’s The Manchurian Candidate), leaves the viewer with an amusingly ambiguous ending.
Season One continued with Chosen (directed by Ang Lee), The Follow (directed by Won Kar-wai), Star (Guy Ritchie) and Powder Keg (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu). In The Follow, The Driver plays private eye for a paranoid actor who instructs Owen to spy on his wife. And although trailing someone is probably not so discreetly done in a head-turning BMW 3 Series and Z3 Roadster, The Driver gets the job done – on his own terms. The Follow also featured Forest Whitaker and Mickey Rourke. In the final two films of Season One, Owen must teach a lesson to a spoiled celebrity (played by Madonna) and rescue a wounded war photographer – while escaping the battle zone under a shower of bullets.
John Woo and Joe Carnahan directed Season Two’s Hostage and Ticker, respectively. Woo, director of Mission: Impossible 2, was praised by The Observer’s Dave Kehr as “arguably the most influential director making movies today.” Known for his stunning use of slow motion and intense action scenes, Woo packed Hostage with plenty of suspense, plot twists and shots of The Driver’s sporty BMW Z4.
Years after The Hire wrapped, film critics and industry executives alike couldn’t stop talking about BMW Films. Many of BMW’s automotive competitors attempted to create their own short films, but the end result often failed in comparison to the artistic precision of The Hire. Time magazine declared that the series “surely deserves the attention of discerning movie watchers,” while the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival awarded BMW with the “Best Action Short” prize for Woo’s Hostage. In 2003, The Hire was permanently added to the film collection at the Museum of Modern Art.
Not long after the success of its short films, BMW partnered with Dark Horse Comics to create The Hire comic series. Over the course of six issues, The Driver returns to take care of some unfinished business; as expected, BMW recruited only the best-of-the-best when it came to putting their ideas and images on paper.
Technologically innovative and artistically captivating, The Hire solidifies BMW’s place among today’s most groundbreaking companies. Known not only for mastering its main craft, but also for its ability to tap into the future of art and entertainment, BMW Films is a profound success story within the realm of cinematic experimentation.
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