Taxi
Short description
Daniel Morales, a former pizza delivery rider in Marseille, has finally obtained the taxi licence he worked for, and he drives his powerful Peugeot through the city at speeds that alarm his passengers and passers-by alike. His plans are threatened when he is caught by the police for a serious speeding offence. Émilien Coutant-Kerbalec, an inspector who has repeatedly failed his driving test, offers him a way out: Daniel keeps his licence if he serves as the driver in an investigation. The target is a gang of German bank robbers whose fast Mercedes cars have kept the French authorities busy for months. Daniel has little room to refuse, since turning the offer down would cost him his new job.
The film was directed by Gérard Pirès, the second of the four features listed for him, following Act of Aggression and preceding Steal and Sky Fighters. Luc Besson wrote the screenplay and produced with Laurent Pétin and Michèle Pétin. Samy Naceri plays Daniel, Frédéric Diefenthal plays Émilien, Marion Cotillard appears as Lilly Bertineau, and Bernard Farcy plays Commissaire Gibert, among a credited cast of 45.
Made for about 9 million dollars, Taxi took roughly 44 million dollars worldwide, a strong return for a French production of its scale. On IMDb it holds 7 out of 10 from around 96,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.7 out of 10 from some 2,814 votes, indicating a wide and generally favourable audience response.
What's left behind the scenes
- For filming the chases, the director invited operators from Formula 1.
- When the enraged Daniel hits the steering wheel with his hand, a horn sound is heard. In fact, in Peugeot cars, the horn button is located at the end of the steering column stalk.
- When Émilien is learning to drive, we see that the driving school is named 'G. Pires'.
- Luc Besson wrote the screenplay in 30 days.
- In the final scene of the film, before the race, Daniel puts on a helmet that, judging by its paintwork and sponsor logos, belongs to Olivier Panis, a well-known French racing driver who competed in the Formula 1 World Championship from 1994 to 2004.
- Daniel says they should have been following the Mercedes trucks, not the cars, although in reality the robbers are using Renault trucks.
- When Émilien places the flashing light on the roof of Daniel's car and gets in, the device's wire is pinched by the door, but in the next shot, this doesn't prevent the hero from calmly removing the flashing light through the window.
- At the 17th minute of the film, Emilien is playing a computer game. It's Grand Prix II (1996), a game dedicated to the 'Formula 1' racing championship. The screen shows Emilien speeding along the virtual Monaco Grand Prix track.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
