I will admit to having a little bit of a crush on Ryan Gosling; he was one of the few decent things in Crazy Stupid Love and I really enjoyed his performance in Blue Valentine. So I was intrigued to see how he would fair as the lead role in a film where there's not a great deal of dialogue.
Drive is about an unnamed driver (Ryan Gosling) who holds three jobs; the first as a stuntman for films, the second as a mechanic and the third as a getaway driver for local criminals. However, there is a potential opportunity for the driver to be part of a legitimate business as a racing driver for garage owner Shannon (Bryan Cranston) which is being funded by local mobster Bernie (Albert Brooks).
He starts to fall in love with his neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan) who has a young son and a husband in jail. Irene and the driver grow close, but there are clear boundaries which are not overstepped in any way. When Irene's husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) comes homes, he and the driver become acquaintances.
The story moves on to reveal that Standard has significant debts from when he was jail and there is a very real threat that his family could be hurt if the debts are not settled. The driver decides to help by being the getaway driver in a pawnshop robbery. As this is potentially the last job of this kind for the driver, it predictably goes wrong. This leads to a chain of events which involve a significant amount of bloodshed.
This is a beautifully shot film with some stunning pictures of Los Angeles which give the film a real 'art house' feel. However the story is a bit lacking and I can't really put my finger on why. The performances are solid, exceptional in the case of Gosling and Mulligan; although I think Mulligan needs to do a role which doesn't involve her looking mournful all the time.
I felt that this was a film of two halves; the first half was an arty, almost romantic film about a driver who was silently showing his love for both the girl in his life and his passion for driving, the second half was a massacre in many respects and I've found it difficult to reconcile the two. There is a remarkable amount of bloodshed and very graphic scenes of violences, some of which lean towards to the gratuitous variety. Whilst I'm not squeamish or generally have a problem with violent scenes, some of it in Drive was a bit pointless.
Verdict: A beautifully made film with some great performances, however a bit too much style over substance for me. That said, Gosling is a star who is definitely on the rise.
I loved this. May even be my film of the year. I was expecting an arty, action flick but got so much more. It's all about Gosling's unnamed 'Driver' and his performance is a masterclass in understatement (and Mulligan is the best I've seen her since Doctor Who!). I'd contend that the violence, whilst shocking, only adds to the mystery of his character and momentarily makes you question your support for the 'hero'. It is a seemingly conventional story but. I think Refn plays it knowing enough to keep it fresh. That said, I can see how some, such as yourself, might find it a difficult film to like. Oh yeah, the soundtrack was awesome too!
ReplyDeleteI agree that both Gosling and Mulligan were great, however Mulligan has played this type of role before (Never Let Me Go is the one that springs to mind), so I felt it was a bit same-old, same-old from her. I didn't think the violence was that shocking, just pointless.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the soundtrack was great but I stand by my verdict: style over substance!
Thank you again for your comments!