The Internet driving machine; BMW Films Web site makes the most of ultimate product placement

Turns out the feel-good movie of the summer isn't in movie theaters. It's in your computer. "Hire," a series of six-minute shorts by some of the world's top movie directors, was produced for the Internet site BMW Films (www.bmwfilms .com). Yes, the car company. Each short features actor Clive Owen, star of the acclaimed British film "Croupier" and, in the opinion of his growing legion of fans, the next James Bond. The films are everything savvy surfers have come not to expect from Internet video. They're exciting and elegantly crafted. But most remarkable, given the limitations of digital video, is that they are a full-screen feast for the eyes and ears. Short on plot exposition and long on car chases, the films bear the unmistakable marks of their directors. John Frankenheimer's "Ambush," for instance, is a tense thrill ride from start to finish, not unlike Frankenheimer's 1998 film "Ronin." From Ang Lee, "Chosen" is an artful ballet of skidding vehicles that blends the director's love of both choreography and action. In "Star," released earlier this month, Guy Ritchie directs wife Madonna in a comedy that runs about as long as two of her MTV videos. She plays an intolerable diva who is humbled by a joyride with Owen in a BMW 530i. The German automaker says each director was given complete creative control. But the clear intent, unspoken or not, is to show the Beemer displaying grace under pressure. "The BMW brand is in there as a character, but these aren't really commercials," said Steve Golin, whose multimedia company Anonymous Content worked with producer David Fincher ("Seven") on the "Hire" series. "We think it's the way lots of things will go in the future. More product placement than advertising." Owen is the "hire" in the series title, a skilled mercenary driver who seems to specialize in risky assignments. While he is certainly a smooth operator behind the wheel (very Bond!), it is always the Ultimate Driving Machine that saves the day. In "Ambush," for example, he eludes a van of kidnappers in a 130 mph night chase over an obstacle-laden highway. Click over to the BMW Films Web site and you'll learn that Owen's escape was made possible by the car's Dynamic Stability Control and Xenon low-beam headlights. Downloading each film takes about 10 minutes on a high-speed Internet line; it takes hours on a regular phone line. BMW's special Film Player, which you must download first, displays a letterbox roughly four inches high by 11 inches wide. That's much larger than the popular Internet formats, yet the BMW Film Player's video is remarkably fluid, and its audio is CD-quality. Click on "Director's Commentaries" for the full DVD experience. You'll hear Lee explain "Chosen's" chase scene while it happens. The "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" director also makes a startling confession: He drives a 6-year-old minivan. If you don't have the computer setup to watch the films, BMW has begun buying infomercial time on the Bravo and Speedvision channels to show off the "Hire" series. On "Star," you'll hear Ritchie refer to Owen as "a James Bond type." He's not alone. Harry Knowles, who runs the popular Ain't It Cool News movie site, posted a message last month pleading with MGM, producer of the James Bond films, to dump Pierce Brosnan and sign the 36-year-old British actor, who is currently filming "Gosford Park" with Robert Altman. "Clive Owen is the future of James Bond," Knowles declared. Movie editor Robert W. Butler contributed to this story. You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. >>>