Drive
(USA, 2011, Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn)
Stars: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
In one word: Memorable
Ramble: I spend a lot of my time watching movies these days - ushering sessions for work and getting through all the stuff my brother and I rent/download/borrow/ buy and watch in cinemas and on TV. A lot of the films I see, no matter how enjoyable they are, remain with me, at best, for a few hours before I move onto some new thing. Some would say I've become numb to the thrill of film-watching. But I just think I haven't seen anything worth obsessing over lately. But all this changed a few days ago when I went to see Drive with my brother. I can't stop thinking about how awesome this film is...
Unlike most girls (and my brother), I've never liked The Notebook (shock horror). So no, I wasn't originally a Ryan Gosling fan and I didn't choose the film to appease any sort of fangirl need... I really wanted to see Drive because I remember reading about its awesome plot on the MIFF guide earlier in the year, but missing out because I was too poor to buy tickets to go see it (It was the closing night film and tickets were like $120+). So what made this movie so awesome?
For starters, the story was the best action-drama-romance combination that's been on the market for awhile. The plot revolves around an unnamed character, The "driver" (Ryan Gosling), who works as a mechanic and stunt driver by day and a getaway driver by night. He is employed by a man named Shannon, who takes loans and makes transactions with local gangsters, Bernie and Nino. Shannon, impressed with the driver's talent, promotes him to these gangsters as part of a deal he makes. The driver does as he's told without taking much interest in anything except Irene (Carey Mulligan), the young woman next door who is raising a child by herself while her husband is in jail. Although the pair have a strong mutual attraction for each other, things get complicated when the husband returns and requires the help of the driver...I love everything about this movie. The plot is wonderful - simple but sophisticated, the acting is awesome, the editing and flow of events is fantastic - Warning: Minor Spoilers - As my friend pointed out, one moment you see Irene's car breaking down, then you see a scene of The Driver looking at her and then it cuts to him carrying her bags into her house. The story is told through actions and events, rather than dialogue. It was beautiful story-telling - every gesture had meaning and portrayed more than what was said on screen. - End Spoilers - All in all, the film is done exceptionally well, setting it apart from other films that fall under the 'bad-ass-fast-car-grand-theft-auto' umbrella. It is effectively suspenseful and tender in all the right moments, and excels in all the genres it sets out to cover.
Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan are amazing in Drive, both as individuals and as a pair. Like I mentioned before, I've never been much of a Ryan Gosling fan in the past, but this has undone all the damage The Notebook did to him for me. In some ways, the Driver was nothing he couldn't pull off - you've all seen him in that brooding, man-of-few-words protagonist role before. But I liked his portrayal of The Driver more than of all his previous, similar roles. The Driver was a character with very, very, very few words and (at the start) very few grand, passionate actions. So the character didn't develop through dialogue, but rather through the lack of it. He had to come out through subtle things like tone of voice, gaze, gestures, smiles etc...And in my opinion, Ryan Gosling did a good job. His two word responses were always packed with overwhelming emotion when it was said in conversation to Irene or to her son, and his glances and smirks towards Bernie and Nino always gave off that feeling of rage hidden under the external guise of indifference. As for Carey Mulligan, I have always been a fan since I saw Pride and Prejudice and Never let me go, so I may be biased, but she was the best choice for this role. Again, I don't think this role is anything outside her comfort zone as she is 'the girl next door' (pardon the pun :D). But Carey Mulligan played a convincing single mother, and while she smiled brightly and shined with liveliness and cheek in her eyes, she also added this lovely hidden sadness to her character, Irene. Together, Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan had such intense on-screen chemistry that you'd have to be blind to have missed all those sparks. Watching them smiling shyly at each other for a few long, silent minutes made the film as enjoyable as watching all the (very) bloody fight scenes (And I do love myself a good bloody fight scene when its seen through my fingers :D).
But more than just the acting, I think I also like the characters themselves. The Driver was more than just a moody kid with a dual
identity - on the outside, he was mysterious, he was very indifferent, he was cold, he had no past and he cared little about the conventions of morality. But he was also carried his own beliefs and silent struggles. And his loyalty to the people he loved made him a fantastic character, both simple and complicated, much like a dark, vigilante comic book character.
Actually most of the film had the comic book element to it: a fantastic 80's synth influenced soundtrack that is cool and detached, yet buzzing with underlying emotion, costumes including a shiny scorpion jacket and leather driving gloves, hot pink credit fonts, gory bloodbath violence, gangsters, a few strippers...That whole vice city feel to it. But yes, I really enjoyed the whole film. It has surprisingly wedged its way into my favourite's list and I'd recommend this movie to anyone who likes action, a good love story, a great comic book/vigilante hero and vice-city landscape to go watch this!
Should I go? Yes: I love every element of it - characters, acting, landscape, plot, directing. And it did win the director a 'Best Director' award at the Cannes film festival, so I can't be the only one who's in love with this film.
No: It's a fantastic movie, but if you're expecting a fast and the furious type movie, this won't be your thing, I think.
You'll like this if you liked: The Departed, Man from Nowhere, Sin city
And to finish off, the intro with Nightcall by Kavinsky ft. Lovefoxxx...
The Ides of March is a much better Gosling movie.
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