There’s a scene in Drive where Ryan Gosling and his love interest share a passionate, climactic kiss. Then Gosling ruthlessly proceeds to kick a thug’s skull in.
This combination of excessive violence and theatrical set-ups gives Drive a gritty, gore-is-good charm. With quiet, tension-building scenes interrupted by gut-wrenching violence, the film pays tribute to classic car-chasers like Bullitt while mixing in the satirical wit of Tarantino. Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn’s final product is a stylish, bold, and brutal film, filled to the brim with superb acting and beautiful cinematography.
The plot of Drive is straightforward, bordering on cliché. Gosling plays a part-time stunt driver who, with the help of his boss (Bryan Cranston), makes a living on the side as a getaway driver. Long story short, he comes across a sack full of money in a heist gone wrong. Unfortunately for the duo, the money belongs to two gangsters (Ron Perlman and, oddly enough, Albert Brooks). Now Gosling, whose character remains unnamed throughout the film, must protect himself, his next-door neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), and her son from the mobsters who vow to get their money back and eliminate anyone in their way.
While its plot may be simple, Drive is far from standard popcorn fare. Rather than bombard audiences with blaring sound effects and fast-paced, disorienting editing, Drive takes its time, opening with sweeping shots of nighttime Los Angeles set to a New Wave soundtrack and an ‘80s-esque flamingo-pink font. By playing on previous stereotypes, Drive would appear to be uninspired on paper, but its precise directing and romantic lighting gives this movie a life of its own.
The violence in Drive is sparing yet brutal. When a character gets shot or stabbed, the wound is shown for only a half-second, but lingers for just enough time for the image to haunt viewers’ dreams. The sweat-inducing robberies and car chases only occur after a lot of build-up, and in the case of the former, the camera stays fixated on Gosling waiting behind the wheel, ignoring the interior of the pawn shop or warehouse being robbed. Believe it or not, the film derives as much excitement from Gosling glancing at his watch as it does from a hot pursuit through the Pacific Coast Highway.
While any director can make a movie with copious hardcore violence, retro music, and slow-mo, Refn elevates Drive by getting a lot out of his actors. Mulligan is brilliant as a young mother in love with her son and her ex-con husband. Yet the moment she sees Gosling, she has a new love in her life, an emotion she expresses not through expansive monologue but deep, dramatic facial expressions. Gosling once again proves that he is the best young actor working in Hollywood, communicating his character’s hidden hurt and longing with little more than his eyes. Whether working on a car engine or evading the cops, he brings a quiet, human pensiveness to a performance that would normally be played with excessive macho bravado.
Drive is a must-see movie. While it may not be for the weak of heart, its action sequences and superfluous gore will have audiences speeding home from the theater. And ever since O.J.’s incarceration, this country’s been in serious need of some epic car chases.
