Going back to 2001, YouTube hadn't been invented yet — something that would only happen in 2005. We don't remember if the expression 'went viral' was already used at the time, but what is certain is that the short film series from BMW 'The Hire' it was.
This series of eight short films — 9-10 minutes in length — were made during 2001 and 2002, purposely made for the internet, which kind of grew explosively at the time. A new and ninth film would be made in 2016.
BMW has brought together top-notch directors for its short films: from Ang Lee to Guy Ritchie, via John Frankenheimer, Tony Scott, Alejandro González Iñárritu and John Woo.
Despite the different plots and styles, all the films had in common a character only known as 'The Driver', played by Clive Owen, who was hired for a transport service, of course always behind the wheel of a BMW.
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Any déjà vu in this argument? The impact of the BMW ‘The Hire’ films was great, becoming a source of inspiration for others, leading to the emergence of films such as (the already saga) ‘The Transporter’, confirmed by Luc Besson, their director. Other brands followed the example of BMW — Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Ford — and also made their short films, also associating themselves with big names in the cinema in the making.
Now, nearly 20 years after the publication of the first movie in the series, ‘Ambush’, you can view all nine BMW “The Hire” movies in 4K quality, courtesy of YouTube channel SecondWind.
Of all the movies, ‘Star’, directed by Guy Ritchie, was the most successful one, which we left in the spotlight. That's what happens when you join a BMW M5 E39, Madonna in the role of an unpalatable celebrity, and a chase. We can't fail to recommend that you watch the entire series of films… It's well worth it.
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