Drive (2011) Review

By day, the mysterious' 'Driver' (Ryan Gosling) is a Hollywood stuntman and mechanic, but once night falls over the city, he makes his real money as a skilled getaway driver for the seedy criminal underworld of Los Angeles. The icy ‘Driver’ begins to melt through his relationships with new neighbours Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her young son, Benicio (Kaden Leos). Through a series of events, ‘Driver’ must risk his soul to protect Irene and her son from the vengeful Mafia and their Kingpin (Albert Brooks) of the City of Angels.

If you look at the description alone, then it would not be a surprise to see that a major studio is turning this out starring a B list actor who moves from role to role. However, what makes Drive different from a multitude of similar movies is the stunning acting (especially from Ryan Gosling and Albert Brooks) and the way the movie is shot. You can be easily mistaken for thinking Drive is a cult classic from the heart of the 80s with the almost faded lens, unforgettable soundtrack and wardrobe of the main character, 'Driver', who pulls off the now-iconic bomber jacket with a scorpion on the back. The costume designer for the film, Erin Benach, designed the bomber jacket just for the film and revealed it took a month to perfect.

Nicolas Winding Refn, a Danish director best known for the 2008’s Bronson biopic which launched Tom Hardy into stardom, is further evidence that sometimes foreigners do American films better than their own. Other examples of Foreigners excellence in American film include Paul Verhoeven, Ang Lee and Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Herewith Drive, Refn delivers a gripping, gritty neo-noir drenched in the atmosphere of the 80s.

Refn's skills shine in the opening sequence of the film in which we jump right into our protagonists' night occupation, as the pair of thieves get into the ‘Drivers’ getaway car, his nerves of steel take over and the getaway begins. The opening heist sequence is arguably the most logical and best-written car chase scene in film history. The genius of the heist is split into three parts. The first part is the car choice by our hero, a silver Chevrolet Impala and it is set up perfectly by the ‘Drivers’ mechanic, Shannon (Bryan Cranston), who says in the building of the heist while describing the silver Chevrolet Impala "the most popular car in the state of California. No one will be looking at you". The second part of the genius behind the heist is the actual chase. In almost every car chase in film history, the good guys try to outrun the bad guys by going fast and loose with the driving, but the brilliance of this sequence is that our good guy does not try to outrun the law but tries to outsmart the law instead. The protagonist does this, for the most part, driving like a normal law-abiding motorist. When he runs into police cars, our driver chooses to use the art of concealment, as opposed to flat-out racing police cars seen in so many films, hiding in dark stretches of road, behind trucks, or under bridges. The third and final part of the genius of the opening heist is when it comes full circle with the beginnings of the heist when the ‘Driver' is waiting outside the robbery. Gosling’s driver listens to an NBA playoff game on the radio, the Los Angeles Clippers vs. the Toronto Raptors. He is not listening to check the score for his beloved Clips, he is listening to the game as he has selected the perfect drop-off location for the night's heist: the parking lot of Staples Center. It's not so much the location as what happens when he gets to the location. The driver pulls into the parking lot after distancing himself from law enforcement, just as the playoff game ends and the crowd starts to leave the stadium. In the midst of a sea of motorists ready to celebrate a home victory, he parks his boring old silver Chevrolet Impala and he and his accomplices are in the clear. The precision of the editing matches that of the driving, with the cuts matching the speed of the chase and the slow build of tense when appropriate. Newton Thomas Sigel's cinematography provides magnificent helicopter views of LA's neon-flecked night-time streets and moody renderings of the lived-in city.

Refn’s mastery extends to the casting of the film. Bryan Cranston appears in a small but meaningful role as the driver’s mechanic and motormouth, Shannon. Cranston was at the height of his Breaking Bad (2008-2013) fame and was just about to hit the mainstream Hollywood and award films. Albert Brooks demonstrates that actors more accustomed to comedy can always turn to their threatening side to a great effect, while Ron Perlman just does another great Ron Perlman, we are all used to. Carey Mulligan may not have much to do but she is fantastic in the role she is given and her chemistry with the star of the film makes the film believable and takes it to a whole new level.

Ryan Gosling. There is no Drive without Ryan Gosling. Star making roles are as rare as actual stars these days, but this just might be one. Even though Gosling had been nominated for an Academy Award already for his performance in Half Nelson (2006) where he portrayed a teacher struggling with drug addiction as well as starring in Nicholas Sparks The Notebook, but this movie, this role, this performance took him to another level. Gosling nearly, very nearly, pushes the strong, sturdy and silent type to the parody level seen in the classic action films from the 80s, but Gosling stops just before it ruins the performance, character and film. The classic action hero is alluded to throughout the film with small easter eggs, such as the homage to the vintage Clint Eastwood Western ‘no-name hero’ stable in the form of a toothpick permanently wedged between his teeth. A sign of a great performance is sometimes measured by a long, powerful monologue delivered by the lead, but Gosling does not need that in this role to deliver a powerful and memorable performance. Gosling's 'Driver' only speaks a few words at a time, if at all. He only has 116 lines, with 891 words in the entire film. His performance is through the body language and eyes of the 'Driver'. Gosling’s eyes are so expressive in the film you can tell exactly what he is thinking for every second he is on screen. Gosling even manages to make a bomber jacket with a yellow scorpion emblazoned on the back, a nod to the fable of The Scorpion and The Frog, which is mentioned throughout the film, an ionic look for Halloween costumes for the next 50 years. The best way to mark the brilliance of a performance is to imagine another actor in the role. Hugh Jackman was set to play the role of the 'Driver' before being replaced by Gosling for unknown reasons. So, take a second to think of Hugh Jackman in the now-iconic bomber jacket with a yellow scorpion emblazoned on the back threatening a thug in the dressing room of a strip club with a single bullet and hammer. You can not imagine that, can you? Ryan Gosling is the ‘Driver’.

While Drive may not rely on heavy dialogue, its creation of characters is very effective. The movie may not be for all moviegoers, but few can dispute Gosling's impressive understanding of the role and his excellent performance, which is one of the best acting performances in the past 20 years. The film will go down in film history as one of the most underrated films and sadly underseen films in film history.