Cast your mind back to the turn of the century. Do you remember that series of short films that BMW gave us called The Hire? It kicked off in April 2001 and starred Clive Owen as "the Driver," and big-name directors like John Frankenheimer, Ang Lee, and Guy Ritchie were among those behind the cameras. Well kiddos, BMW Films is back with a new film—starring Clive Owen and Dakota Fanning—which premieres this Sunday.

The newest short has been made by Neill Blomkamp, one of our favorite directors, and co-stars the new BMW 5 Series alongside Fanning and Owen. "When we commissioned The Escape, our only direction was that the story remain of utmost importance—and that it should live up to the standards set by The Hire," said BMW SVP Hildegard Wortmann. "Neill, Clive and the entire cast did a tremendous job, and we are confident that The Escape not only meets that standard, but sets a new one."

The BMW Films were notable for their popularity several years before YouTube came along and made video on the Internet much more routine. I can't be the only person who remembers spending hours downloading the films, taking full advantage of Imperial College's rather fat Internet connection at the time.

While the original movies aren't available on BMW Film's site, we're pretty sure that you can find them on YouTube if you do a little digging. And if the trailer above whets your appetite, there's also this short behind-the-scenes clip, too: