Review: Drive

Ryan Gosling plays Driver, who is a stunt driver for the movies by day, and a getaway driver for-hire by night. Driver falls for lonely neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan), who has a young son. She also has a dipshit husband (Oscar Isaac) fresh out of prison, and Driver soon finds himself wanting to protect Irene and her son by trying to get said dipshit husband out of a jam with some very bad people, by getting involved in a heist. The heist goes terribly and soon Driver has a couple of mobsters (Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman) on his arse. A shockingly frumpy-looking Christina Hendricks plays an untrustworthy heist accomplice, and Bryan Cranston is Driver’s friendly employer, a mechanic who is trying to hook Driver up with a deal as a race driver.

 

If you like films such as “Bullitt”, “The Driver”, “To Live and Die in LA” and especially “Point Blank”, you’re gonna like this 2011 quasi-homage from director Nicolas Winding Refn (the rather extraordinary “Valhalla Rising”, as well as “Bronson”) and writer Hossein Amini, adapting a book by James Sallis. Some will resist the film as pretentious, wannabe cool piffle, but I just think it’s cool.

 

The film grabs you from moment one, whether it’s the pitch-perfect casting of Ryan Gosling as the film’s Steve McQueen of-sorts, or the fact that his character insists on driving a relatively non-descript car, making the character in the movie’s own world somewhat blend in with the rest of society, but also setting him apart from most protagonists of ‘car movies’ who tend to drive ‘cool’ cars. Hell, even the rather hilarious neon pink titles design is cool, and will remind you instantaneously of “Miami Vice”, “To Live and Die in LA”, and so on (the director claims the font was inspired by “Risky Business”, however). Very 80s stuff. No one can really be Steve McQueen except the man himself, but Gosling is the only guy in movies today I can think of who is able to come close to matching McQueen’s rather taciturn, monosyllabic form of ‘cool’. He is also able to get intense and intimidating when the film calls for it. It’s a minimalist performance, but an extremely efficient and effective one. It’s also a bloody good thing that he and Carey Mulligan have good chemistry on screen, because he’s not exactly the most endearing character in the world.

 

The opening getaway is a brilliant subversion of the usual scene, here having Gosling drive deliberately slowly and careful, even making the occasional stop, so as not to run into police cars or be detected by overhead choppers. Later on we get a real car chase, and whilst no cinematic classic, it at least establishes that the director knows how to direct a car chase, and one of the best in a long while. This ain’t no shaky-cam, ADHD-edited monstrosity. The film is classic ‘car movie’ stuff but with a little bit of freshness. The soundtrack and music score by Cliff Martinez might not exactly be my cup of tea, but in a way it reminded me of a 2011 re-interpretation of a Giorgio Moroder (“Flashdance”, “Scarface”, “The NeverEnding Story”) or Jan Hammer (“Miami Vice”) score or something. The digital cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel (“The Usual Suspects”, “The Trigger Effect”) is surprisingly effective. For once it’s not ugly, though dark, and is in fact genuinely gritty and sombre to match the mood of the film.

 

Carey Mulligan brings an interesting fragility to the screen, letting you know that this girl hasn’t had it easy. Some have said she is miscast in the film, but I find that assertion insane. She’s perfect for the role. Ten seconds into Oscar Isaac’s appearance and you know this isn’t a reliable dude. Not a villain exactly, but a lot more trouble than he is worth. Bryan Cranston has a terrific character role as the kind of likeable grizzled veteran you might’ve once seen Jack Warden or Keenan Wynn play (or even Karl Malden). Albert Brooks is interesting casting as the no-nonsense villain, but it’s a shame Ron Perlman’s immediately intimidating thug isn’t used often enough. I’m not as enamoured with Brooks as everyone else seems to have been, but it’s certainly a startling casting against type, whereas with Perlman he’s right at home. I’m not sure what to make of Russ Tamblyn’s virtual walk-on, which seems like a bit of a waste, but his fans will no doubt enjoy spotting his brief appearance here.

 

If there’s any problem at all that I have with the film it’s a rather strange one from me: It’s too violent. This is one seriously violent, brutal film, and for once, I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s jarring, and I don’t think it fits the vibe of the rest of the film. However, that’s a really minor complaint for what is an otherwise really effective update of the kind of slow-burning, brooding, car-obsessed B-movie they don’t often make anymore. Fans of old-school car movies will probably like this somewhat European take on such films, but it certainly won’t be for everyone. Don’t expect something like the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, as they’re a different kind of car movie. It’s not an action movie per-se, and the title might be a tad misleading for what is a real slow-burner, but it’s a damn good movie in its own right.

 

Rating: B