Drive

Synopsis: Driver (Ryan Gosling) drives stunt cars by day and getaway cars by night. After he gets involved with Irene (Carey Mulligan) things gets complicated when her husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) gets out of jail and is blackmailed into doing a job. Driver helps, and it all goes wrong…

This film fairly screams To Live And Die In LA as its touchstone. From the electro soundtrack to the luminous cinematography, it’s hard not to make mention of it. But it pretty much stops there, as Drive is possessed of a style of its own. Nicholas Winding Refn fetishises each shot so much they even work in a joke about it into the film. The main villain, Bernie Rose (an incredible performance from Albert Brooks), used to be a film producer. He made dodgy action flicks, but some critics called them “European”. And that’s what Drive is, a dodgy action flick, complete with several nonsensical plot beats, shot through the lens of a supreme stylist. And the nonsensical elements lead to some truly gorgeous shots.

To be honest, I sympathise a little with the woman in the US who is apparently suing the producers of the film for false advertising. She saw the trailer and expected a Fast & Furious clone. What she got is a film with very little in the way of car chases, short staccato eruptions of violence and a lot of people talking and looking awkward while Ryan Gosling smiles coolly. If I didn’t already know this was the guy who made the brilliant Bronson (and the underseen Fear X), I might be a bit peeved too. Winding Refn doesn’t go about things in a normal way. But what he does do is create a mood that’s very cool and enjoyable.

The acting is all top notch, though fans of Christina Hendricks might be a bit cut since despite her billing she’s only in the film for five minutes. There’s also no hint of how graphic the violence is going to be. Drive goes a lot further than American History X in its depiction of a guy getting his head stomped in. The soundtrack is excellent but the lyrics are all on the nose and completely lacking any subtlety. I’d still say go and buy the album, it’s great.

All up, Drive is a slick art thriller with very little depth but an amazing amount of style. It’s obvious the filmmakers were just having fun and you will too.

 

 

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