Former getaway driver Yul Perkins (Dax Shepard) is a goofy but harmless bloke living the quiet life under witness protection in rural California. It seems that ‘Charlie Bronson’, as he is now known, had turned on his mates following a Los Angeles bank heist that went haywire. A few years on, and with his new identity established, Charlie is shacked up with the love of his life, Annie (Shepard’s real-life wife Kristen Bell), and all is looking rosy for the couple.

First published in the May 2025 issue of Street Machine

A dream job offer for Annie throws their life into a spin when she reveals the new posting will be in LA – the last place Charlie wants to show his face. It soon becomes apparent that some important half-truths told to Annie about Charlie’s past are going to rear their ugly heads.

Motivated by love, Charlie decides to pull his tough Lincoln Continental out of retirement to run the gauntlet and drive Annie to her LA meeting deadline. This is despite the strong objections of his clumsy US Marshal handler, Randy (Tom Arnold), and the cock-blocking tactics of Annie’s ex-partner, Gil (Michael Rosenbaum).

When Gil catches a whiff of Charlie’s chequered past, he contacts Charlie’s ex-best friend, Alex (Bradley Cooper), setting Alex hot on the trail of Charlie in an attempt to retrieve a bunch of hidden robbery money and settle a very sour score.

What ensues is a jam-packed cat-and-mouse chase with Charlie trying to keep Alex and his posse at bay, all the while ensuring that Annie makes her meeting deadline. Thrown into this high-speed melting pot is Charlie having to navigate Annie’s increasing rejection of him, as the truth about his shady past is revealed.

Being an independent production gave Dax Shepard the wiggle room to flex his own skills as a stunt driver, and the mix of newer and older rides adds a nice balance to this film’s action and will keep the majority happy. The highway-hauling off-road race buggy effortlessly climbing stairs is a highlight, and the whole shebang is bookended by an awesome soundtrack – the music rights are rumoured to have soaked up nearly half of the film’s fairly lean $2m budget.

VERDICT: 4/5

As A fan of the work from Shepard, Bell, Cooper and Arnold in their own rights, I figured Hit and Run would be a sure thing. I wasn’t disappointed. Car chase movies with a comedic edge are nearly always a fun watch, and the action is plentiful, with a heap of variety among the stunts and sequences. This movie is well-written, quirky, and the comedy/action relationship is well-balanced. The humour still feels current even 10 years on, and I laughed out loud on plenty of occasions.

BREAKDOWN

VEHICLES:

• 1967 Lincoln Continental
• Tatum off-road racer
• 2012 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon
• 2011 Chevrolet Camaro
• 2008 Chevrolet Corvette C6
• 2005 Chevrolet Impala
• 1971 Ford F250
• 2001 Dodge Caravan
• 2006 Pontiac Solstice

STARS:

• Dax Shepard
• Kristen Bell
• Bradley Cooper
• Tom Arnold
• Kristin Chenoweth
• Michael Rosenbaum
• Ryan Hansen
• Joy Bryant
• Beau Bridges
• Jason Bateman

DIRECTOR:
David Palmer
Dax Shepard

ACTION:
Oodles of burnouts and tyre-smoking doughnuts, high-speed grass hacking and drift chases; even stair climbing!

PLOT:
A former getaway driver hiding in witness protection risks life, limb and his relationship to get his girlfriend to an important Los Angeles appointment.

AVAILABLE:
Streaming, DVD.

COOL FLICK FACT:
Many of the vehicles used in the film were from Dax Shepard’s personal collection.