Movie Review: Drive

It was while I was at my local cinema, watching this film that I released why I made such a habit of avoiding going to the cinema until I started writing this column and making the weekly exception to this rule for you my lovely readers. Now it’s not that I particularly have anything against cinema’s per say, even though they are overpriced and constantly trying to cram the latest unnecessary use of 3D down your throat, but it’s more the fact that cinemas are now too nice with their armchair like seats, dual armrests with cup holders and expensive sound systems that ensure that you can really hear the splatter, which is all great but only makes those of us who like to go to the cinema by ourselves feel only all the more self conscious about going to the movies on our own, unlike the run down cinema I used to haunt in my youth, which were traditionally more filled with members of the homeless community, drunks and folks generally looking for a place to escape the rain and it was at these places that I gained a lot of my cinematic education, while being free of the guilt of going to the cinema by myself. The other advantage of these places however was that it also put off the more common cinema goer who demands large explosions and simple plotting, who’d rather pay the premium and go to a nice cinema. Sadly (and no doubt with good reason) these grindhouse esq cinemas have largely been demolished or closed down, forcing cinema elitists like myself to venture out to these more modern cinemas.

Now don’t get me wrong I certainly don’t mind the luxury that these places bring to the cinema experience, it’s more the fact it frequently puts me into contact with members of the movie going public who have stumbled into a film without actually know what they are going to watch, something certainly not helped by the trailers and TV spots, which have portrayed it as a full throttle action thriller, when the film is actually more of a sedate art house thriller, but it’s a reaction which never fails to surprise me, especially in these times were it near impossible to go into any movie blind and even more so when film reviews are only a quick click away. So hence my enjoyment of this film was distracted by exasperated sighs from the guy in front of me, as he grumbled away about there not being enough action, while several of the sporadic audience got up and walked out clearly, realising that this was going to be the film they were expecting to see, a reaction essentially the complete opposite to when it was shown at Cannes, were it was greeted by a fifteen minute standing ovation, something that it sadly did not get at the showing I attended.

Following a no named driver (Ryan Gosling) whose name is never revealed and who makes ends meet working in a Shannon’s (Bryan Cranston) garage, picking up occasional work as a movie stunt driver, while also moonlighting as a getaway driver for hire, working under his own strict code which he will not break for anyone. Meanwhile he has built an awkward yet surprisingly positive relationship with his neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her young son Benecio (Kaden Leos), aswell as with her recently released husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) who sets Driver up on the idea of a Million Dollar heist, to help clear debts owed to a one of Standards former bosses, while trying to ensure the safety of Irene and her young son, though soon finding himself in a whole world of trouble.

“Drive” is such a hard film to classify, with it’s minimal soundtrack and retro styling, while providing further frustrations as it refuses to stay in any one genre, as it processing the same elements of indie cool that Sofia Coppola brought to “Lost In Translation” (2003) which is honestly the closest film I can compare it to, while it also contains numerous nods to the classic car chase movies, such as “Bullitt” (1968) and more precisely the Walter Hill classic “The Driver” (1978), which was the film I originally thought it was a remake of only to find something even more special as this film as Director Nicolas Winding Refn chooses to craft a thriller which doesn’t rely on piling on the gloss or whitty dialogue, but rather chooses intelligently crafted plotting and interesting characters and strong relationships to tell the story of a man who essentially lives just to drive.

Gosling for along time has been one of the ballyest actors on the indie scene, a reputation perhaps only rivalled by Joseph Gordon Levitt, whose rent boy antics in “Mysterious Skin” make him an equally strong contender, but ever since I first saw Gosling as Jewish Neo-Nazi David in “The Believer” (2001), I’ve seen him as being someone worth watching especially as he continued to take on ever more daunting rolls from the Drug addicted teacher in “Half Nelson” (2006) to convincing us of his characters relationship with a love doll in “Lars and the Real Girl” (2007) and even though he has started to work more in the mainstream, he is once again in full blown indie mode here as he crafts out yet another highly believable character in the Driver, a man who mutter at the best of times only a handful of words when in the public eye, yet possessing a much darker side when conducting his less legal driving activities. Donning a silver jacket which not only makes him look like a younger version of “Death Proof’s” Stuntman Mike, this simple act also mark his switch into business mode were he is prone to sporadic acts of violence against those who wrong him, while also enabling to enforce his code of practice, always wearing this jacket even as it gets more bloody and torn up and almost as if it’s his armour against the evil which surround him.

Working under his own code of practice non to dissimilar to the one which Frank Martin work under in “The Transporter” (2002) were he a assigns those who use his services only five minutes to do their business and never working with the same people twice, while also working under the cover of anonymity which seemingly expands into his day to day life, as the driver is a man without a past or any kind of family links outside of his small circle of friends and associates he has chosen to allow into his inner circle, with Irene and her son being the only ones not associated with any of his criminal activities and despite his seeming lack of social skills, he still manages to form a close friendship with them, even forming an unexpected bond to her young son and this is portrayed so convincingly that I didn’t even question to unlikeliest of their friendship, he even earns the respect of Irene’s husband who after sizing the driver up in their initial meeting doesn’t show signs of jealousy or even hostility, towards him as this initial meeting soon leads to them working together, as Standard instead see’s a profession aswell as a valuable asset in the skills the Driver processes.

While largely dialogue driven “Drive” still features some scenes of fantastic action with the non CGI chase sequences, harking back to the golden age of car chase movies, as Director Refn aims to earn this film a place amongst those establish classics much like Quentin Tarantino with “Death Proof”, whose chase sequences it rivals with edge of your seat excitement, while opening with a tense getaway which also showcases the precise style he brings to his work, combining a potent mixture of speed and unrivalled knowledge of the streets which allows him to elude and outsmart pursuers with ease. Still even when not behind the wheel of a car also proves himself just as capable of holding his own whether using fists, feet or just a sharp piece of metal he is more than capable of hold his own in a fight, while his violent streak is also restrained and kept purely for those who break his codes of practice and these scenes are often shot with stark and gritty realism and none of the choreographed glamour of it’s counterparts.

Somthing worth noting here is the pace, which is while certainly comparable to “Surveillance” as Refn refuses to rush things, to get to the next money shot or chase sequence and it’s something that I saw first hand faze an audience to the point were they walked out and while it might require a little patience from the viewer, it certainly pays off in the richness of the story which Refn is crafting here and further cements it’s place alongside the other “badass art house movies” like “Ghost Dog”, which honestly is no bad thing, it just requires a little more patience than your regular cinema goer might be willing to put in, but as with “Surveillance” the pay off is well worth the effort.