If you’re looking for a fast-paced adrenaline rush that will keep you on your toes, look no further than Drive. Written by Academy Award® nominee Hossein Amini, and adapted by the James Sallis novel of the same name, Drive relies on stereotypes, but breaks them down with use of the cast (more on that a little later). Ryan Gosling (Crazy Stupid Love, Lars and the Real Girl, Half Nelson) approached director Nicolas Refn for the lead role, known only as Driver.
Driver is a mysterious man of few words. By day he works as a mechanic and stunt driver for the movies, and by night moonlights as a getaway driver. He keeps bumping into his neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan, An Education, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps), and the two soon form a friendship as Driver spends time with her and her young son. The conflict arises when Irene’s husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac, Sucker Punch, Robin Hood), returns from prison. He is unable to pay a debt and must perform a robbery to repay it. Knowing that he can help, Driver offers to be the getaway driver. Let the games begin.
What bothered me the most (which was actually a good thing) was Ryan Gosling as Driver. So often Ryan is a heartthrob character and in this film that is used to an advantage because Driver is really completely psychotic. It works perfectly for the film because you really don’t want to believe what you’re seeing. The same goes for Albert Brooks (Finding Nemo, Broadcast News), playing Bernie, who dominates every scene and delivers a fantastic character completely opposite of what you’d expect. Ron Perlman (FX’s Sons of Anarchy, Hellboy) as Nino really chews up every line of dialogue and you can tell he’s truly enjoying himself. Bryan Cranston (AMC’s Breaking Bad) is oddly innocent and hopeful as Driver’s employer/manager, Shannon. All of these characters are supporting, yet they are amazingly complex and well acted. I was surprised to see Christina Hendricks (AMC’s Mad Men) as Blanche. Her character had a small part and it didn’t feel quite developed enough. I was unsure of how to react to her actions.
With very little dialogue, most of the film rests on action, whether it be a car chase or a trip to the grocery store. The song, “Tick of the Clock” by The Chromatics opens the film and perfectly underscores the action. Other songs are reminiscent 
of 80s pop, and also enhance the action. The score is very dramatic and is subtle enough to not interfere with the scene. Another stand out song is “Oh My Love (Feat. Katyna Ranieri)” by Riz Ortolani is another song that highlights the emotion of a very intense moment.
The film is also beautifully shot using shadows and accent colors the give each scene a vibrant and flare. This is especially true in the opening sequence when Driver’s face is constantly in the dark, hiding from view. Even day scenes have extra punches of color and remind me of 1970s action films. Gritty yet crisp, the style is intoxicating.
With a true R rating, the brutality is something that is almost hard to overcome and cringe-worthy, but implying the violence would have cheapened the film. The film starts slowly but builds fast enough to get you ready for the rest. It is truly a good film, but I have a hard time really saying whether I actually liked it because of how calculated Driver was even as he bashes someones head in. I got the sense that he had a disturbing past and rooting for him, not knowing the details, really troubled me.
You can catch it in theaters on September 16, 2011 by Film District.
Rating: Brutal and beautiful with a great soundtrack. 8/10
Recent Comments