Headscratchers / Drive (2011)

• The big question of course: When the Driver threatens that gangster with a pistol round against his forehead and a claw hammer behind the round, would hitting the back of the round with the claw hammer ignite the gunpowder and propel the bullet into the guy's skull? What would happen to the Driver's gloved hand that hold's the bullet?
  • No, a hammerhead would be too broad a surface to ignite the primer. It would be easier to hit the primer by placing a nail on it and hitting the head of the nail with a hammer. Also, it wouldn't explode with much force. The barrel of a gun is necessary to focus the explosion in one direction and shoot the bullet at lethal velocity. So ultimately, the Driver is just threatening to hammer the bullet into the man's head like a nail, not shoot the bullet into his head via hammer strike. Either way, it's not intended to be a practical tactic, just an intimidating threat.

• No seriously, is The Driver autistic?
  • I don't think so. As I understand it, the biggest sign of autism is a failure to pick up on social cues. The Driver doesn't do that. On the contrary, he seems to be watching people very closely and picking up what's going on. Although he's very quiet and withdrawn, everything he does seems to be very deliberate, and he's never behind the curve on what people are thinking or doing around him. In my armchair, layman analysis, I would guess that whatever the Driver's issues are probably derived from some sort of trauma or tragedy in his past.

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