Chances are, you've never heard of this movie. If you are an action/martial arts fan (like myself), that's a shame.

The movie stars Mark Dacascos (who you may recognize from the television version of The Crow) as Toby Wong. Wong is a technologically engineered superman. Special implants give him super-human speed and agility, which Dacascos is able to portray with amazing skill.

The film opens with Wong arriving in the US after having fled his employer/captor in Hong Kong. His employer wants him back and has sent an army of thugs to capture him. This sets the stage for a series of spectacular stunts and fight scenes, each more stunning and breathless than the last. Dacascos flips, twists, jumps and kicks his way past the bad guys with a technical proficiency that rivals Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Also in the Hong Kong style, Dacascos does most of his own stunts.

Surprisingly for just a low-budget feature, Drive also contains a very witty and offbeat sense of humor, as well as performances that are better than usually contained in this sort of film. Notable is an appearance of Brittany Murphy early in her career (she has since gone on to prove her skill as an actress). Murphy manages to steal every scene she's in as a bored and more than slightly twisted hotel operator.

Many martial arts films tend to go astray when they try to place too much seriousness on the plot. Drive doesn't fall into that trap. While the script certainly attempts to make sense of the action, it does so with a wink. The film also delivers a satisfying payoff at the end, with a final villain that is a good physical match for Dacascos.

I discovered Drive by accident. I happened to see it at the rental store a couple of years ago and being a Mark Dacascos fan, I gave it a try - and fell in love with it.