Drive is a slick, cool, retro movie starring Ryan Gosling as an unnamed stunt driver, who also doubles as a getaway driver at night. It is not an action movie in the typical sense, and it isn’t filled with dialogue but instead grips you with it’s progressive build up, visual greatness and an epic soundtrack. Some people will tell you it’s one of the best movies ever, others will tell you it was ‘stupid’. There isn’t that many in between.
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The opening scene is loved universally, whether they liked the movie or not. In an amazingly good looking Scorpion Jacket, we see the Driver talking on the phone. “There’s a hundred thousand streets in this city. If I drive for you, you give me a time and a place, I give you a five minute window. Anything happens in that five minutes, then I’m yours, no matter what. Anything happens a minute either side of that, and you’re on your own. Do you understand? Good. And you won’t be able to reach me on this phone again.” Cue build up music and the first scene begins.
Just writing this makes me want to see Drive for the 7th time, I just can’t get enough. We then see what may be one of the best opening scenes of all time. After picking up a car from his mate and employer Shannon (Bryan Cranston) he sets off. Listening to the NBA on his radio, the driver calmly drives his two partners in crime away from their heist, and evades police cars and helicopters on the way. The ending for that scene is so clever and I sat there thinking ‘ingenius!’. After this 10 minute opening, opening credits appear in a hot pink, 80′s style font, Definitely a flashback to the era. “Nightcall” by Kavinsky plays in the background, a song that I loved from the first time I heard it and still plays in my car regularly.
The opening gets you pumped for the movie to come, but then it takes a cool down for a bit. Those that were expecting non stop action become dissapointed, the rest of us become entranced as the Driver cooly goes about his day. Enter Irene (Carey Mulligan), a seemingly shy mother who like our main character, also doesn’t like to enter into long conversations. She turns out to be his neighbour and they have a chemistry that to me felt like they spoke so much with there eyes and face alone. Others thought there was no chemistry at all, but that would be missing the whole point of this movie. The characters speak to you even when they aren’t speaking. Thier actions, the atmosphere that you could cut with a knife, the soundtrack by Cliff Martinez that really sets up the mood for every scene.
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One of the main reasons this movie is amazing is the unexpected change up. Even though I’m telling you about it now, you still won’t understand how epic it is until you’ve seen the movie. It goes from cool, calm and controlled to an explosion of emotions and extreme violence. Many are turned off by this but this is what makes a movie great, to surprise you in such a way, just when you thought you had completely understood where the movie was going. When Irene’s husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac), arrives home from prison, the mood begins to change a bit, and the fantasy the movie seemed to set begins to dissolve. When the Driver, a man of few words, lashes out in dialogue in a bar, it snaps you out of your seat. You know things are about to get serious.
Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn, who has directed some very unique movies in the past (Bronson, Valhalla Rising) the visual images we get to see are a real treat, and accompany Ryan Gosling’s amazing acting and the brilliant soundtrack. The villians in this movie aren’t to be sneezed at either, with Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks) and Nino (Ron Perlman) who are two bad guys you can relate to but you still wouldn’t mess with. They know what they have to do and will go to any lengths to get it done. But the Driver is no slouch, and they clash when a heist goes wrong.
I cannot begin to explain what makes this movie so great. People complain about the lack of dialogue, but it makes everything they say heightened, more dramatic and much more memorable. I could probably tell you nearly every line in the movie, probably aided by the fact I’ve seen it six times. Some lines give me chills thinking about them, such as Nino telling Bernie ‘That’s why this Driver’s gotta go Bernie… He’s gotta go.’
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This movie is a serious movie, with only one clear laugh out loud moment, which was a nice change up and makes me appreciate it even more that they managed to get some laughter in. The other funny moment comes when Standard is telling his son and the Driver how he met Irene, and while I smiled at the cleverness, the tension that is being built up around this time means no laughter could exit my body. This movie grips you and has you wanting more.
Overall, Drive was my favourite movie of 2011, and I would be hard pressed to think of a movie I liked more ever. It is one of the few movies I can guarantee gets better with repeat viewings, I think I only liked Drive the first time I saw it, but I liked it enough I decided to go out and see it with a mate for a second viewing. Then I loved it and wanted to see it over and over. I cannot find a fault in this movie, a movie where some seem to be able to find endless ones. I would highly reccomend you see this, and while the theartre experience was incredible, it may be a bit late for that now so hopefully you have a good system at home. A+
I think you could probably tell me every line in the movie because there was a massive lack of lines which I personally found correlated to a lack of character development for all the stories protagonists.
Ryan gosling played a unique character, but that uniqueness needed explanation.
In general I felt like this film lacked a definitive and satisfactory ending.
Finally, I found the trailer for the film suggested an action film more than a D&M and I was disappointed with it after the best and most smart/lively scene; the first scene.
Other than that the only positive point for the movie for me was quality acting skills from ryan gosling, as per usual.
I agree with the trailer, it doesn’t really portray the movie and also spoils a lot of the surprises! Thanks for your views, definitely a polarizing movie.
You know I fucking love Drive
After listening to some interviews with Gosling and the director Refn I really understand more what they were trying to do.
They both say that it is kind of like a dark fairytale where the Driver is there to protect the innocent princess (Mulligan) and I certainly feel that kind of vibe from the movie.
I agree that the movie is more “style” than “substance”, but the style is so good that I don’t even care
I think I watched the same interviews. The soundtrack helps aid their aim with ‘Real human being’ and ‘A real hero’.
I definitely think this movie will be remembered in years to come rather then the Oscar nominees (although the Artist may be remembered too).