DriveSoaked in neon with a synthpop pulse, fused with the engine of a crime drama, with the bittersweet soul of a lonely romance under the hood, Drive is a film which combines all of the above and more into a unique harmony, a film with a distinct style that feels immediately modern and retro simultaneously. The unnamed Driver (Ryan Gosling) is a cool as ice stuntman, who moonlights as a getaway driver for robberies, where his zen-like command of the streets of L.A. and savvy for fast cars and police bands give him an edge over the fuzz in the City of Angels. But this diversion doesn't fill the emptiness within; only when he starts to connect with his neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan) does it awaken a real human feeling in his heart once more.
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It would be a disservice to describe Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive simply on the basis of comparing it to an homage to 80's-era "European"--as the equal parts sinister and savvy mob boss Bernie (Albert Brooks) describes his own history as a movie producer of "sexy action", art house films, emphasizing style over substance. However, the pedigree is there, and this is a part of the film's signature, writ in pink cursive with pride. The style is there, but so too is the pathos, conjured forth with minimal exposition and steadied by tone and tension. The Driver projects an aura of cold calm, an impermeable barrier which serves him well to command power in tense situations with the criminal element he finds himself forced to operate alongside. Be it a getaway heist or an interrogation, he retains his composure and gains the advantage...but where does this skill--and his many others--come from. His employer/handler, Shannon (Bryan Cranston) claims that The Driver just showed up one day looking for a job, and at some point they must have gotten in the "getaway driver" business, but Shannon seems as much in the dark about the driver's past as anyone. Perhaps the most singular parallel to Drive that I can think of is Taxi Driver. Both films feature an alienated loner in a big city, with a talent for driving and a mysterious past, both of whom get involved in events which spiral out of their control. In Taxi Driver, Travis' narration gives us some sense of the main character's mental state...in Drive, our projections are the inner thoughts of The Driver, via Ryan Gosling's subtext. (Interestingly, both movies also star Albert Brooks in a supporting role.) Because The Driver remains the film's biggest mystery, we are subconsciously conditioned to ascribe characteristics to him, influenced by the tone of the score--often heartfelt and emotional, and also tense and adrenaline-fueled--which tease the inner logic of The Driver. That ambiguity of The Driver elevates the means by which we identify with him; and guys who watch Drive will want to aspire to that cool, "James Dean" ideal, as the girls swoon over a guy like him.
The Driver and Irene's relationship is one that is surprisingly gentle, never veering anywhere close to sexual; there is attraction there, but I suspect that they respect one another's space enough to not press further. They are both alike: lonely, and lacking confidence, wanting the other to make the first move. There is tension, since Irene is married; when her husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac), returns from prison, he gets caught up in a prison protection scam, and ends up compelling The Driver's to aid him in pulling a job to get him out of their debt. The Driver does not show any level of sympathy for Standard's plight, but he is concerned because Standard indicates that Irene and their son, Benicio (Kaden Leos) will be targeted if he doesn't pull this job. But Standard, like The Driver and Shannon, are being played like pawns by the local mob--Bernie and his thug brother, Nino (Ron Perlman)--used and looked down upon. The Driver seems wise to their act--maybe in another city, he's been played by guys like Bernie and Nino before--so he is usually prepared for their traps and routines, although Bernie is a special kind of insidious, one who keeps his collection of deadly knives and razors in a display case in his house. In Drive, The Driver wears many kinds of masks, most of them metaphorical, although at least one is quite literal. These masks present him to the world at large as a "real human being", as the song goes; it's possible that he has put aside his heart, a tin man in a reversible letterman jacket, the scorpion a warning not to cross him, for he has screwed down tight a deadly inner venom. But The Driver is inherently a good person, a "hero" who steps up when the bad guys--the sharks, loans and all--come searching for the blood of a woman and child he cares for, innocents in a world of ambivalent crime. The mask he appropriates from his Hollywood day job to wear as he enacts one episode in his quest for vengeance resembles that of a human, a mask to hide the truth of his inner rage, not his identity...no one is left to identify him. His vehicle of preference--the Chevy Impala--is described by Shannon as "the most common car in L.A...no one will be looking at you"; even his reversible jacket is a camouflage he exploits to evade the police by blending in, pretending he is "one of the crowd". The Driver's first instinct is to hide, to get away from danger when it gets too hot; but when his feelings for Irene and Benicio spring forth, he finds that sometimes, one must avoid running to protect that which is truly important before driving off into the sunset.
Recommended for: Fans of a distinctive crime drama and action film, with plenty of car chases and tension, a pulsing soundtrack which also leans toward the hypnotic. I can only imagine the demand for jackets like Ryan Gosling's after this movie debuted.
The Driver and Irene's relationship is one that is surprisingly gentle, never veering anywhere close to sexual; there is attraction there, but I suspect that they respect one another's space enough to not press further. They are both alike: lonely, and lacking confidence, wanting the other to make the first move. There is tension, since Irene is married; when her husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac), returns from prison, he gets caught up in a prison protection scam, and ends up compelling The Driver's to aid him in pulling a job to get him out of their debt. The Driver does not show any level of sympathy for Standard's plight, but he is concerned because Standard indicates that Irene and their son, Benicio (Kaden Leos) will be targeted if he doesn't pull this job. But Standard, like The Driver and Shannon, are being played like pawns by the local mob--Bernie and his thug brother, Nino (Ron Perlman)--used and looked down upon. The Driver seems wise to their act--maybe in another city, he's been played by guys like Bernie and Nino before--so he is usually prepared for their traps and routines, although Bernie is a special kind of insidious, one who keeps his collection of deadly knives and razors in a display case in his house. In Drive, The Driver wears many kinds of masks, most of them metaphorical, although at least one is quite literal. These masks present him to the world at large as a "real human being", as the song goes; it's possible that he has put aside his heart, a tin man in a reversible letterman jacket, the scorpion a warning not to cross him, for he has screwed down tight a deadly inner venom. But The Driver is inherently a good person, a "hero" who steps up when the bad guys--the sharks, loans and all--come searching for the blood of a woman and child he cares for, innocents in a world of ambivalent crime. The mask he appropriates from his Hollywood day job to wear as he enacts one episode in his quest for vengeance resembles that of a human, a mask to hide the truth of his inner rage, not his identity...no one is left to identify him. His vehicle of preference--the Chevy Impala--is described by Shannon as "the most common car in L.A...no one will be looking at you"; even his reversible jacket is a camouflage he exploits to evade the police by blending in, pretending he is "one of the crowd". The Driver's first instinct is to hide, to get away from danger when it gets too hot; but when his feelings for Irene and Benicio spring forth, he finds that sometimes, one must avoid running to protect that which is truly important before driving off into the sunset.
Recommended for: Fans of a distinctive crime drama and action film, with plenty of car chases and tension, a pulsing soundtrack which also leans toward the hypnotic. I can only imagine the demand for jackets like Ryan Gosling's after this movie debuted.