MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1 (9/16/11): DRIVE
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Ron Perlman and Christina Hendricks
WRITER(S): Hossein Amini (screenplay), James Sallis (novel)
DIRECTOR: Nicolas Winding Refn
WEB SITE: http://www.drive-movie.com/
THE PLOT: The latest entry in his growing "I'm going to take over Hollywood by showing the depths of my range" resume, Drive stars Ryan Gosling as a low key individual who works part-time as a professional stunt driver in movies under the tutelage of his mentor, Shannon (Bryan Cranston). What is Gosling's low key character's other job, you ask? Giving a 5 minute window to shady individuals in need of a ride from a scene where it would be wise for them to disappear before the authorities arrive ...
While Shannon knows about his pupil's nighttime activities, he's hoping to steer (no pun intended) him into a more legitimate full time career as a race car driver. To do that, however, he needs to get an investor to fund his dream. He finds one in the form of Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks), a rich and powerful man who is very well connected to some very bad people - his organized crime friend Nino (Ron Perlman) being one of them.
One good person Gosling's character - let's just call him "Driver" shall we? - comes across, however, is Irene (Carey Mulligan), who lives down the hall from him in his apartment building. Irene and her son Benicio (Kaden Leos) are quite happy together, but Irene is very happy to meet Driver and they all start hanging out. But just when it seems like something might happen between the two of them, Irene lays a bombshell on our protagonist: Her husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) is getting out of prison.
While Standard is a bit taken aback at the chumminess between Driver and Irene, he ends up needing his help to pull off a heist to pay off a debt accumulated in prison. But if there's one thing a man in Driver's position should know, nothing in his line of work goes perfectly as planned ...
THE TAKE: Upon seeing the film, Drive made me instantly think of two other movies: The Mechanic (the Jason Statham version) and The American, with George Clooney. Both of those films, the latter especially, featured characters that were very similar to Gosling's in Drive (loners who spoke confidently while making sure to only say as few words as possible), try to change their lives after a moment of unexpected zen and have to take on someone close to them. Much like the actors in both of those films, Gosling owns every single scene he's in, making his character equal parts cool customer who makes danger seem so life-affirming and yet respectable in a world permeated with shady individuals.
Likewise, the direction of Drive, like the other two aforementioned films, has very well done visuals that draw you into the lead character's world, each one serving a purpose before culminating in a climatic - and in this case, VERY violent - scene. Nicolas Winding Refn does a masterful job drawing you into the story and shifting moods via his work behind the camera, being sure to draw the most out of his actors, especially a playing-very-well-against-type Albert Brooks.
Problem is, Drive is kind of on an island as a movie ... While some will no doubt like it because of [1] How cool Gosling's character is [2] How well he plays him (although his motivations do seem a bit agnostic at times in the grand scheme of things) and/or [3] the intensity of the action scenes. What may deter some people, though, is the violence - when it happens, it happens fast and furious (no pun intended again!) - and the way in which some of the situations in the film are resolved. Likewise, much like The American, it feels quite familiar as a whole given the story. Then again, there is something to be said for familiar but well done.
Drive is not a standard action movie; it's more of the thinking man's action drama - and when it comes to delivering in that regard, the film does and quite well. Make no mistake, however - this is a film that's all about letting Gosling's performance make the movie. If that's all you need to be happy, Drive will put a smile on your face.
PARTING SHOT: A film that's as much of a character-driven drama as it is Grand Theft Auto at times, Drive showcases Gosling's ability to add a different flair to a familiar medium.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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