Drive, yet another movie starring Ryan Gosling, opened last month, and I didn't know what to make of it. Which is why I haven't blogged about it. But upon the request of a friend, I am officially laying down my opinion, and since I don't know what she thought of the film, this might incite a fierce discussion.
Having previously laid bare my love for Gosling in my Ides of March post, I will refrain from waxing lyrical about him now. However, the fact that he is in this movie, along with Carey Mulligan who I adore from An Education and her one episode of Doctor Who, certainly helps. The two of them have proved themselves to be quality actors and Drive is no different. Gosling's character, a stunt driver by day and a getaway driver by night, is a quiet man who as the saying goes is, "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." And frankly, that quote from Churchill is probably the best I can do to describe my feelings about Drive.
The driver (he has no name so I'll just call him that) lives next door to Irene (Carey Mulligan) a woman with a young son and a husband in prison. The two of them strike up a tentative flirtation, which is rather touching considering that the driver otherwise seems to lead a very lonely existence. However, their budding romance is quickly cut short with the return of her husband Standard. He's an ex-con, but he's not really a villain and is portrayed surprisingly sympathetically by Oscar Isaac who makes it difficult for you to really root against him. As much as you hope the driver could be with Irene, you get the sense that Standard really does love his wife and son and will make good on his promise to keep them happy. And unfortunately, the driver has this sense too. He gets drawn into a plot to help Standard with one last heist so that he can clear up his debts with some gangsters and go back to living a normal life with his family. As you can already suspect, this does not go according to plan.
The gangsters in the film are portrayed by Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman with menacing swagger, and the driver's boss/friend Shannon (Bryan Cranston) manages to be scheming, caring, cowardly, and brave all in one go. Christina Hendricks has a short but powerful turn as Standard's accomplice, and it's nice to see Joan from Mad Men (or Saffron from Firefly if that is your preferred frame of reference) wearing jeans and getting tangled up in a heist gone wrong. This supporting cast gives the film its depth and although the story unfolds fairly slowly at first, these characters provide plenty of entertainment as you're waiting for the action to really kick in.
What is surprising about the characters in Drive is that you know so little about them. The driver has almost no back story (he doesn't even have a name for pity's sake) and you are very much just thrown into the present state of affairs and expected to go for the ride. And what a spectacular ride it is. The film is a visual masterpiece, playing with color and light that imbue every scene with a palpable mood. It is no wonder that the director, Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, won Best Director at Cannes this year. His direction of the film is all the more impressive when you consider the fact that the man doesn't even know how to drive. Handpicked by Gosling to direct the film, he manages to painstakingly balance mind-blowing car chases and getaways with subtle character exposition and plot development. The driving scenes range from dizzyingly paced to languidly unhurried, and there's no doubt that the only time the driver is really in his element is when he is behind the wheel.
Drive is primarily a visual spectacle and an ode to what movies ought to look like. Despite a grimy subject matter and moments of ultra violence, the clarity and gorgeous look of every scene never ceases to amaze. I almost didn't care what the story was, I just wanted to see more driving and the vista of endless roads stretching before me. And really, isn't that the ultimate point of a movie called Drive?
Having previously laid bare my love for Gosling in my Ides of March post, I will refrain from waxing lyrical about him now. However, the fact that he is in this movie, along with Carey Mulligan who I adore from An Education and her one episode of Doctor Who, certainly helps. The two of them have proved themselves to be quality actors and Drive is no different. Gosling's character, a stunt driver by day and a getaway driver by night, is a quiet man who as the saying goes is, "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." And frankly, that quote from Churchill is probably the best I can do to describe my feelings about Drive.
The driver (he has no name so I'll just call him that) lives next door to Irene (Carey Mulligan) a woman with a young son and a husband in prison. The two of them strike up a tentative flirtation, which is rather touching considering that the driver otherwise seems to lead a very lonely existence. However, their budding romance is quickly cut short with the return of her husband Standard. He's an ex-con, but he's not really a villain and is portrayed surprisingly sympathetically by Oscar Isaac who makes it difficult for you to really root against him. As much as you hope the driver could be with Irene, you get the sense that Standard really does love his wife and son and will make good on his promise to keep them happy. And unfortunately, the driver has this sense too. He gets drawn into a plot to help Standard with one last heist so that he can clear up his debts with some gangsters and go back to living a normal life with his family. As you can already suspect, this does not go according to plan.
The gangsters in the film are portrayed by Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman with menacing swagger, and the driver's boss/friend Shannon (Bryan Cranston) manages to be scheming, caring, cowardly, and brave all in one go. Christina Hendricks has a short but powerful turn as Standard's accomplice, and it's nice to see Joan from Mad Men (or Saffron from Firefly if that is your preferred frame of reference) wearing jeans and getting tangled up in a heist gone wrong. This supporting cast gives the film its depth and although the story unfolds fairly slowly at first, these characters provide plenty of entertainment as you're waiting for the action to really kick in.
What is surprising about the characters in Drive is that you know so little about them. The driver has almost no back story (he doesn't even have a name for pity's sake) and you are very much just thrown into the present state of affairs and expected to go for the ride. And what a spectacular ride it is. The film is a visual masterpiece, playing with color and light that imbue every scene with a palpable mood. It is no wonder that the director, Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, won Best Director at Cannes this year. His direction of the film is all the more impressive when you consider the fact that the man doesn't even know how to drive. Handpicked by Gosling to direct the film, he manages to painstakingly balance mind-blowing car chases and getaways with subtle character exposition and plot development. The driving scenes range from dizzyingly paced to languidly unhurried, and there's no doubt that the only time the driver is really in his element is when he is behind the wheel.
Drive is primarily a visual spectacle and an ode to what movies ought to look like. Despite a grimy subject matter and moments of ultra violence, the clarity and gorgeous look of every scene never ceases to amaze. I almost didn't care what the story was, I just wanted to see more driving and the vista of endless roads stretching before me. And really, isn't that the ultimate point of a movie called Drive?
what i want to know is, what was your opinion of the ending? all these things I agree upon, though i wasn't expecting the pace of the movie to be the way it was (very slow in the beginning, a tad awkward, lots of presuming looks, too much ryan gosling oogling time to the point where the bf made a snide remark about it) and then it just picks up really really quickly form there.
ReplyDeleteI thought the ending suited the film - frankly I couldn't see how it could end any other way. I was definitely surprised at all the rapid violence when the film had been slow and dreamy at the start, but it sort of reminded me of that elevator scene in The Departed when you just want to yell out, "Stop shooting everyone!" Why, did you think a different ending would have been better?
ReplyDeleteAlso, re: the Gosling ogling - I disagree. I am finding that movies with Gosling (see Ides of March) do that a lot because the man just has an emotive face. He often uses very little dialogue and just does it all with his expression. Then when he does talk, it makes what he's saying all that more important.
But you are free to disagree. I'll happily take whatever ogling time I can get.
i thought the ending was overly dramatic and too predictable. though i guess there really wasn't a better ending.
ReplyDeleteas for the gosling oogling, maybe he's just so nice to look at that we're looking at his face longer and taking the time to over-interpret on his facial expressions.