Drive (2011)
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston
I'm late to the party, I know. It has been more than half a year since Drive dominated the pop culture zeitgeist. And half a year seems like forever in 2012. There have been a thousand memes to come and go since the whole Ryan Gosling "Hey, girl" thing was born. For a while there, Drive was on the tip of everyone's tongue. It dominated the discussions of message boards and twitters and podcasts related to movies.
As Oscar hype inevitably and painstakingly began to ramp up, the movie was often mentioned in the same breath as The Artist and The Descendants, true heavy-hitters in terms of Oscar contention (the movie eventually only garnered an award for Sound Editing, although it picked up a boatload of other awards at other more minor festivals). Eventually, the hype over the movie grew to a fever pitch, and then slowly faded away, as all things do, but I've continued to look forward to it. And now, in June of 2012, I can finally say that Drive has come to my corner of the world, and I have seen it. And it was truly awesome.
As Oscar hype inevitably and painstakingly began to ramp up, the movie was often mentioned in the same breath as The Artist and The Descendants, true heavy-hitters in terms of Oscar contention (the movie eventually only garnered an award for Sound Editing, although it picked up a boatload of other awards at other more minor festivals). Eventually, the hype over the movie grew to a fever pitch, and then slowly faded away, as all things do, but I've continued to look forward to it. And now, in June of 2012, I can finally say that Drive has come to my corner of the world, and I have seen it. And it was truly awesome.
Perhaps seeing this movie at least 3 months after anyone else who had any interest in seeing it has aready seen it offered some benefit. I went into the movie surprisingly (to myself) expectation free. Although the movie was well-regarded, there were enough people who had expressed a dislike for it that I had tempered my expectations. In addition, I had, only semi-intentionally, done a fairly impressive job of avoiding not only spoilers about this movie, but plot details in general. I really had no idea what the hell it was about.
I knew Ryan Gosling was in it, there were cameos from a bunch of cool people, and Gosling's character wore a cool jacket. That was it. Before the movie started, a friend of mine (who is much less interested in movies than I and had never even heard of it), asked me what kind of movie it was. After briefly hesitating, I offered helpfully (I hoped), "Action?". That seemed to placate my friend, and in hindsight it was certainly an accurate response, but at the time, I really didn't know the answer to the question myself. Sure, it may be an action movie, but is it arty? Is it an action spectacle like the Fast and Furious films? Is it funny? Is it dark? I really had no idea. After having seen the movie, I can confidently answer that it is all of the above. And more. In fact, it's everything!
I knew Ryan Gosling was in it, there were cameos from a bunch of cool people, and Gosling's character wore a cool jacket. That was it. Before the movie started, a friend of mine (who is much less interested in movies than I and had never even heard of it), asked me what kind of movie it was. After briefly hesitating, I offered helpfully (I hoped), "Action?". That seemed to placate my friend, and in hindsight it was certainly an accurate response, but at the time, I really didn't know the answer to the question myself. Sure, it may be an action movie, but is it arty? Is it an action spectacle like the Fast and Furious films? Is it funny? Is it dark? I really had no idea. After having seen the movie, I can confidently answer that it is all of the above. And more. In fact, it's everything!
Perhaps the greatest compliment that I can give Drive, and I was thinking this constantly throughout the movie, is that it is one of the truly unpredictable films I have ever seen. Most movies follow a formula, and you can predict exactly what will happen in the end by at least the halfway point of the movie. Of course, some would say that getting there is the thing. And that isn't untrue. Formulas are an important part of film-making. And Drive certainly follows a formula as well. The problem (actually not a problem) is that it keeps changing the formula. Pulling the rug out from underneath the audience in the greatest way.
In the beginning, I thought Drive was a heist film. A cooler, more stylish version of The Transporter. Then I thought it was a love story. Then I was sure it was a love story, but at the same time a character study of a man living two lives. But then, it's a racing movie? Or is it a Mafia flick? It even had shades of a horror film (during the scene where Gosling stalks the mafioso on the beach while wearing the mask, I genuinely expected the Halloween theme music to cue up at any moment).
In the end, I finally thought I had my answer. Drive is a perfect reflection of our mash-up culture. It's the movie version of the The Grey Album (dated reference I know, sorry). It isn't trying to be anything. It's just telling a story with no regard for genre or formulas. And the result is glorious. Finally, I realized one more thing (and I'm going to go a little geeky here): It's a really awesome Grand Theft Auto movie.
In the beginning, I thought Drive was a heist film. A cooler, more stylish version of The Transporter. Then I thought it was a love story. Then I was sure it was a love story, but at the same time a character study of a man living two lives. But then, it's a racing movie? Or is it a Mafia flick? It even had shades of a horror film (during the scene where Gosling stalks the mafioso on the beach while wearing the mask, I genuinely expected the Halloween theme music to cue up at any moment).
In the end, I finally thought I had my answer. Drive is a perfect reflection of our mash-up culture. It's the movie version of the The Grey Album (dated reference I know, sorry). It isn't trying to be anything. It's just telling a story with no regard for genre or formulas. And the result is glorious. Finally, I realized one more thing (and I'm going to go a little geeky here): It's a really awesome Grand Theft Auto movie.
The first time I thought of Grand Theft Auto was literally less than 10 minutes into the movie, following the incredibly tense and awesomely constructed opening sequence. As the 80s sounding synth pop cued up, and the camera began to sweep over the city landscape at night, and the word Drive appeared on the screen in a retro-looking pastel font, I immediately thought "Vice City". Instead of Drive, the title may as well have read "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 2: Drive", which is just a little clunkier and more awkward than just "Drive", so I forgive them for this oversight in naming.
The movie itself is easily imagined as an episode of GTA. The characters, so over-the-top and at times cliched (tell me you can't imagine Nino as an antagonist in a GTA game?). The encounters: when Gosling meets the hood in the park, it is so akin to one of those "getting your mission from a contact" cut scenes in GTA that I chuckled to myself. And when the pawn shop heist went awry, and Gosling peeled out of the parking lot with Christina Hendricks (in pants so tight they defy physics) in tow, I could just picture the text appearing at the bottom of the screen, updating your mission parameters (get back to the motel! and lose your wanted level!). The GTA games offer a plethora of missions, often vastly different from each other. You have to take girls on a date. You have to win vehicle races. You have to assassinate people. It's all part of one continuous narrative, but furthering the story means accomplishing some pretty diverse goals. Drive had the same feel. And it was extremely well done.
The movie itself is easily imagined as an episode of GTA. The characters, so over-the-top and at times cliched (tell me you can't imagine Nino as an antagonist in a GTA game?). The encounters: when Gosling meets the hood in the park, it is so akin to one of those "getting your mission from a contact" cut scenes in GTA that I chuckled to myself. And when the pawn shop heist went awry, and Gosling peeled out of the parking lot with Christina Hendricks (in pants so tight they defy physics) in tow, I could just picture the text appearing at the bottom of the screen, updating your mission parameters (get back to the motel! and lose your wanted level!). The GTA games offer a plethora of missions, often vastly different from each other. You have to take girls on a date. You have to win vehicle races. You have to assassinate people. It's all part of one continuous narrative, but furthering the story means accomplishing some pretty diverse goals. Drive had the same feel. And it was extremely well done.
In closing, I would just like to praise Refn, a Dutch director who was previously unknown for the most part. I have a feeling that is about to change (or it already has, actually). Refn will be directing some big budget Hollywood movies in the neat future, and rightfully so. Drive was not an easy movie to pull off, and he did it with flying colors. The movie is just impossibly cool and stylish. The soundtrack is phenomenal (though far from subtle, in the case of standout track 'A Real Hero'). There were so many standout moments for reasons ranging from pure bad-assery (elevator stomp, every scene Albert Brooks appeared in) to sweetness (the adorable scene where Gosling takes his girlfriend and her son for a drive).
The fact that the movie was able to drastically change gears so often and so effectively is a testament to it's strong writing and directing. Acting-wise, obviously Albert Brooks was a standout. His character was downright chilling. Ron Perlman is always great, and the concept of his character (a Jewish gangster who is a wanna-be Italian) was very funny. Bryan Cranston was great in his brief role. And what a cool and somewhat jarring surprise to see him playing a character other than Walter White at this point (hurry back Breaking Bad!). Carey Mulligan was sufficiently charming as the love interest, and the young actor who played her son didn't make me cringe at any point, which is always a plus for child actors.
Gosling, surprisingly, was not given much to do. He didn't have a lot of dialogue, which was maybe for the best, as the lines he did have failed to intimidate. But, mostly his job was to look handsome, which I assume comes naturally to him, and he did a fine job at. His is also a decent-sized guy, which added some weight (har har) to his ass-kicking scenes. But the true star of this movie was the "look" so to speak, the style. That faux-80s retro vibe. The cinematography was a triumph. I look forward to what Refn will create next. And I wouldn't be too upset if it was a Grand Theft Auto movie.
The fact that the movie was able to drastically change gears so often and so effectively is a testament to it's strong writing and directing. Acting-wise, obviously Albert Brooks was a standout. His character was downright chilling. Ron Perlman is always great, and the concept of his character (a Jewish gangster who is a wanna-be Italian) was very funny. Bryan Cranston was great in his brief role. And what a cool and somewhat jarring surprise to see him playing a character other than Walter White at this point (hurry back Breaking Bad!). Carey Mulligan was sufficiently charming as the love interest, and the young actor who played her son didn't make me cringe at any point, which is always a plus for child actors.
Gosling, surprisingly, was not given much to do. He didn't have a lot of dialogue, which was maybe for the best, as the lines he did have failed to intimidate. But, mostly his job was to look handsome, which I assume comes naturally to him, and he did a fine job at. His is also a decent-sized guy, which added some weight (har har) to his ass-kicking scenes. But the true star of this movie was the "look" so to speak, the style. That faux-80s retro vibe. The cinematography was a triumph. I look forward to what Refn will create next. And I wouldn't be too upset if it was a Grand Theft Auto movie.
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