Drive Review

This is one of those instances where it's a good idea to watch a movie based on reviews. Actually, that's usually a good idea if you like good movies. What I mean is, I didn't know much about Drive before the last few weeks. I knew Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan were in it. I knew driving was involved. And I knew the director, Nicolas Winding Refn, was a foreign guy with whom's work I'd not been acquainted (I'd heard of Bronson but haven't seen it). About last week the reviews started coming in and they were great. Not like The Social Network good or anything but it was obvious that this was something I needed to see. Pslightly Psycho and I set it up and now it's been watched. I have to say, it did not disappoint.

I haven't been paying attention to the advertisements for this movie but I can assure you that they're deceiving. Drive runs like what I'd assume a 20 lap NASCAR race would go. The first 15 laps would be significant. Not necessarily exciting (depending on whether or not you like NASCAR), but important. Everything takes it's time getting into position for the big finish. We meet the characters, understand the relationships, and are treated to the beauty of Los Angeles along the way. In the last 5 laps, shit gets serious. Now we've got the passing and the crashing, or rather, chases and gunfights. Neither one is overdone. They're really only used to contribute to the seriousness of the matters at hand. If you were expecting some Shoot 'Em Up-esque car fighting movie, you're going to be surprised. Drive is stylish and serious.

Ryan Gosling plays the nameless Driver. As his name suggests, driving is what he does best. He's a wheelman with a guarantee that he can make any getaway as long as you give him a five minute window. The opening scene treats us with a bit of his skill. He daylights as a Hollywood stunt driver and mechanic. These, of course, would be the jobs he tells people about, but I saw them as secondary to his midnight crusades. Driver's only friend is Shannon (Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston). He helps Driver with the stunts and is trying to borrow enough money to get Driver in his very own stock car. In the film, Driver takes notice of his neighbor, Irene (Mulligan). Romance blossoms after he helps her and her son, Benicio, out of a jam. Gosling's Driver is a man of very few words so we're left with their facial expressions and body language to demonstrate the chemistry. Usually when you see a quiet character in a love story, it comes off as awkward, but the emotion between these two felt authentic. That comes to a halt when Irene's husband, Standard, is released from jail. He's not a bad guy, but he owes money to a few. When Standard's pursuers threaten Irene & Benicio, Driver decides to contribute his talents to help the family.

Things start getting messy from here in more ways than one. Suddenly, Drive ramps up the intensity and comes out of nowhere with some good old fashioned gore. There's red corn syrup everywhere. The graphic nature of these scenes is a drastic contrast to the first half of the movie but it's all so well done that nothing really seemed out of place. Speaking of well done, the cinematography is perfect. The camera does a great job capturing everything from emotions to bloodshed without ever getting dull. Another high point was the soundtrack. I'm not great with genres but it rooted in electronic, possibly trance. Regardless of the genre, I know I'm going to spend a decent bit of time tracking down the tracks from the film and adding them to my personal music collection. The pacing can be compared to that of Taxi Driver, with a slow build of everything coming together before a heart-pounding final act. And of course, there are a few other obvious comparisons I could make. I recommend this movie to anyone who wants to see a really good film in theaters. It doesn't quite feel like a "Best Picture" nominee but I wouldn't be surprised. It might be the best movie I've seen in theaters this year (excluding whatever Tree of Life will go down in history as).