Drive is a thrilling, highly stylized morality play. The film is extremely well executed and a pleasure to watch.
Based on the James Sallis novella by the same name, Drive is strongly influenced by film makers Sam Peckinpah, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Clint Eastwood.
The Driver (Ryan Gosling) is silent, gritty, and no-nonsense. He carries the same type of determination and straight to business mentality of the best Western gun-slinger or Samurai. He is driven and perfect in his line of work (a car mechanic and stunt driver by day and a getaway driver at night). But he is also a character with a strong moral edge.
The strong silent hero is magnified by strong stylistic choices. Director Nicholas Winding Refn lets actions speak louder than words. The result is a film where each word feels important. The minimalist screenplay by Hossein Amini is carefully crafted and highly effective.
Drive also has a strong 80’s retro feel. From the pink script of the titles to the Driver’s silver jacket with a golden scorpion, Drive feels like a hipper contemporary version of Miami Vice. These elements do not make the film feel dated but rather well conceptualized. The highlight is the soundtrack which is perfectly married to the film. The terrific score by Cliff Matinez and infectious songs like “A Real Hero” by College (featuring Electric Youth) capture a synth-pop feel that is truly a blast. The music exquisitely sets the mood for the film.
The film demands attention from the get go. The Driver explains, “I give you five minutes when you get there. Anything happens in that five minutes and I’m yours, no matter what. Anything a minute either side of that and you’re on your own.”
The second scene occurs in those five minutes. The sound track is the radio play-by-play of a Los Angeles Lakers game. He careens and hides around the corners of Los Angeles without uttering a word. The tension pulsates. The scene is gripping. The driving is inspired.
The driving scenes throughout the film are really well executed. You hear and feel the car shift. You grip your chair when the car slides through a corner.
Drive also juxtaposes tenderness and brutality.
The violent scenes in the last quarter of the film rival the best work of Peckinpah and Jodorowsky but do not contain the tired torture-porn or splatter-film feel of too many contemporary horror films (see Saw). The violence is not romanticized, instead it seems almost matter of fact in its brutality.
The tenderness in the film forms its moral center. The Driver’s interactions with Benecio (Kaden Leos), the son of his love interest Irene (Carey Mulligan), are soft and affectionate. The Driver even reaches out to Irene’s husband Standard (Oscar Issac) to ensure that Irene and Benecio are protected.
The Driver oscillates between these poles. But often finds himself having to embrace both.
Gosling is fantastic in this role. He is a strong silent lead. He is expressive in a subtle way that makes the character work.
Drive is gripping, exciting, and a very well done. It is a highly stylized thrill ride with a strong silent lead.
PARSI VERDICT: Drive is a strong, captivating, intense film that will get your motor going.
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