Director-writer Sing J. Lee’s The Accidental Getaway Driver takes what could have been a straightforward crime thriller and instead delivers a deeply introspective, unexpectedly stirring character study.
Inspired by real events, the film follows Long (Hiep Tran Nghia), an elderly Vietnamese driver in Southern California who, in the dead of night, accepts a ride request from a man named Tay (Dustin Nguyen). Promised double pay, Long reluctantly heads out, unaware that Tay and his associates have just escaped from prison. What follows is not the high-octane getaway one might expect but a slow-burning, existential tale about loneliness, regret, and fragile connections forged in unexpected situations.
Lee, known for his stylish music video work, brings a rich visual language to The Accidental Getaway Driver, steeping the film in moody lighting and shadowy compositions that recall the atmospheric crime films of Hong Kong’s golden era. Rather than focusing on the mechanics of the escape, the film lingers in motel rooms and car interiors, letting tension simmer beneath quiet exchanges. Time slows, and what emerges is less a hostage situation and more a reflection on displacement and belonging.
At the centre of this is the growing relationship between Long and Tay. While the three fugitives—(including the volatile Aden (Dali Benssalah), and the younger, naive Eddie (Phi Vu)—hold Long captive, it is Tay who forms an unexpected bond with the old man. They share a language but also a sense of estrangement. Long, a war veteran and former prisoner in Vietnam, is now a ghost of himself, disconnected from his Americanised children, drifting through a life that feels foreign to him.
“…an elderly Vietnamese driver in Southern California who, in the dead of night, accepts a ride request…”
Though Tay is a criminal, he becomes protective over Long, offering a glimmer of warmth amid the tension. Their scenes together, whether flicking sunflower seeds into a cup or exchanging weary confessions, are some of the film’s most affecting, capturing the unspoken longing of two men who see in each other something they’ve lost.
Hiep Tran Nghia’s performance is masterful. He is measured, heartbreaking, and utterly compelling. His wide, weary eyes carry the weight of a man who has spent decades swallowed by regret, and yet, when he allows himself moments of courage or humour, it is triumphant. Nguyen is equally brilliant as Tay, exuding effortless cool but layering it with an internal conflict that makes his character far more than just the ‘good gangster’ archetype.
If the film falters, it’s in occasional lapses into sentimentality, particularly in its closing moments. A beach-side sequence, while beautifully shot, leans a little too hard into melodrama. But it’s a small flaw in an otherwise elegant, deeply humane film.
More than just a crime thriller, The Accidental Getaway Driver is a melancholic journey through the quiet corners of lost souls. Lee’s debut feature is a strikingly assured piece of work, one that finds real beauty in its stillness and, like its protagonist, aches with the weight of the past.
"… measured, heartbreaking, and utterly compelling..."
