Video: New BMW Film featuring the Super Badass 5-Series

Launched in 2001, BMW Films’ “The Hire” was a series of eight groundbreaking online short films starring Clive Owen as an enigmatic driver for hire. Each film was a unique story, with David Fincher and Ridley and Tony Scott acting as executive producers. The films were helmed by acclaimed directors John Frankenheimer, Ang Lee, Wong Kar Wai, Guy Ritchie, Alejandro González Iñárritu, John Woo, Joe Carnahan and Tony Scott, and featured stars like Madonna, Gary Oldman, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, F. Murray Abraham and James Brown. Available only online and released four years before the invention of YouTube, the films were critically-acclaimed and fifteen years later still have a cult following.

The Escape, also starring Dakota Fanning and directed by Neill Blomkamp, premiered on BMW's YouTube channel Sunday night. Without spoiling too much, this film has a crazy sci-fi plot and all the explodey action you could hope for. As is the case with earlier BMW Films,The Escape is masterfully conceived and executed.

The film is so good, you'll likely forget you're watching a commercial for a new car, and that's sort of the point. That was the big success with the original BMW Films series, and this new entry achieves the same thing. If BMW's marketing department is smart, this won't be the last in the series.