By Nat AlderA silent man roams the streets of Los Angeles listening to 80’s pop music and looking very determined.This is the gist of “Drive”, a new action-drama from Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn.
This is a film that is NOT for the faint of heart. Some sequences throughout the film are extremely violent and may give the viewers a sense of distaste for the movie. The violence portrayed in the film is extremely realistic and works in favor of setting up intense scenes that put the audience at the edge of their seat.The plot seems simple: A car repairman/part time movie stuntman moonlights as a getaway driver, he gets entangled with a love interest and things start going awry. Only this story is one that works on so many levels; the director takes a relatively simple concept that’s been done before and gives it a unique spin: a synth score, intelligent camera angles and brilliant acting, not to mention the intense action sequences that will leave the viewer with their jaws on the floor. The main character, only referred to as “Driver” in the movie, is portrayed brilliantly by Ryan Gosling, who brings a reservation-like quality to the character along with a soft side that is often left behind in many tough-guy movies. He manages to pull this performance off with minimal dialogue, and it absolutely works, it gives the character of the Driver more depth and what Gosling manages to do with the material is gives us a mutual understanding with the character. The supporting performances are also great, ranging from Albert Brooks playing the deranged gangster villain to Carey Mulligan playing the love interest to Bryan Cranston serving comedic relief as the Driver’s boss, Shannon.The direction Refn takes with the film is masterful, directing the actors to amazing performances and giving the audience a refreshing way to enjoy action sequences, by employing intelligently smooth and well thought out camera tricks and using minimal sound effects. The pacing works well for this movie, but is something that might turn the viewers off. It’s a film that starts out slow, but as it progresses so does it’s intensity with almost awe-inspiring pay-offs and great little twists and turns throughout.My only problems with the film are miniscule. I feel like, especially in a film that banks on the fact that so many of it’s impressive action sequences are done practically and without computer effects, it’s disappointing when the violence is computer generated, which gives it an almost cartoonish feel to it. Another problem was the fact that Carey Mulligan does not get enough screen time, especially considering the fact that her character’s ark is built up as the movie progresses but hardly touched upon in the third act.All criticisms aside, this movie is nowhere close to one being normal, though that’s not at all a bad thing. The film contains more substance than a regular action movie would. It’s got palpable tension, and it’s cinematography is paired with it’s stylish color palette to give us one of the coolest looking and sounding films of the year. It’s filled with references to great films from the past, like Steve McQueen’s “Bullitt” or even Prince’s “Purple Rain”. Everything about this movie is fantastic and unconventional, which is why it’s such a delight to watch.
This is a film that is NOT for the faint of heart. Some sequences throughout the film are extremely violent and may give the viewers a sense of distaste for the movie. The violence portrayed in the film is extremely realistic and works in favor of setting up intense scenes that put the audience at the edge of their seat.The plot seems simple: A car repairman/part time movie stuntman moonlights as a getaway driver, he gets entangled with a love interest and things start going awry. Only this story is one that works on so many levels; the director takes a relatively simple concept that’s been done before and gives it a unique spin: a synth score, intelligent camera angles and brilliant acting, not to mention the intense action sequences that will leave the viewer with their jaws on the floor. The main character, only referred to as “Driver” in the movie, is portrayed brilliantly by Ryan Gosling, who brings a reservation-like quality to the character along with a soft side that is often left behind in many tough-guy movies. He manages to pull this performance off with minimal dialogue, and it absolutely works, it gives the character of the Driver more depth and what Gosling manages to do with the material is gives us a mutual understanding with the character. The supporting performances are also great, ranging from Albert Brooks playing the deranged gangster villain to Carey Mulligan playing the love interest to Bryan Cranston serving comedic relief as the Driver’s boss, Shannon.The direction Refn takes with the film is masterful, directing the actors to amazing performances and giving the audience a refreshing way to enjoy action sequences, by employing intelligently smooth and well thought out camera tricks and using minimal sound effects. The pacing works well for this movie, but is something that might turn the viewers off. It’s a film that starts out slow, but as it progresses so does it’s intensity with almost awe-inspiring pay-offs and great little twists and turns throughout.My only problems with the film are miniscule. I feel like, especially in a film that banks on the fact that so many of it’s impressive action sequences are done practically and without computer effects, it’s disappointing when the violence is computer generated, which gives it an almost cartoonish feel to it. Another problem was the fact that Carey Mulligan does not get enough screen time, especially considering the fact that her character’s ark is built up as the movie progresses but hardly touched upon in the third act.All criticisms aside, this movie is nowhere close to one being normal, though that’s not at all a bad thing. The film contains more substance than a regular action movie would. It’s got palpable tension, and it’s cinematography is paired with it’s stylish color palette to give us one of the coolest looking and sounding films of the year. It’s filled with references to great films from the past, like Steve McQueen’s “Bullitt” or even Prince’s “Purple Rain”. Everything about this movie is fantastic and unconventional, which is why it’s such a delight to watch.
