Day 149 - Drive

Drive (2011) directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

We never find out his name. He is simply referred to as The Driver. Driving is what he does, that is what he knows. Like the enigmatic Man With No Name, we know nothing about him, where he comes from, why he is the way he is. We can only observe his actions, determine his motives, see what drives him. Like Leon from The Professional he lives a quiet solitary life. He is a man of few words, few friends, few interests. It is a sudden shift for him then to let his neighbor and her son into his life and to find that he cares for them.

All we know of Driver is that he works as a stunt driver by day and an occasional getaway driver by night. He meets Irene and her son Benicio. He stands quietly in her living room. He isn't much for small talk. He's seemingly unsure of himself without the comforting feel of a steering wheel in his hands. You get the feeling of a hidden layer beneath the surface, something waiting to burst out, a declaration of love, a forceful kiss, perhaps a big laugh, but his cool exterior is rarely if ever betrayed. There are long awkward silences, affectionate gazes that imply intimacy but never expressed. The film is all about nuanced feelings and buried emotions waiting to explode.

If it all sounds excruciatingly slow and boring, well, perhaps it is. But Drive takes its time and sets its own pace. When the time calls for action, there is action, but when the time calls for quiet introspection, there is that too. Mixed and matched together, you get a beautiful ballet of restrained melodrama and hard hitting action.

This film is nothing like I imagined it would be. I had no idea it would be so restrained, yet so shockingly violent. In this way it reminded me of two David Cronenberg films, A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. I'm not quite sure what to make of the contrasting images and feelings set in the film. Much of the film concentrates on the budding relationship between Driver and Irene and Benicio in almost 80's style fashion. The opening title and credits are written in pink cursive, the soundtrack makes me think I'm watching Cocktail or Risky Business. Undoubtedly this is done intentionally to invoke a sense of longing. Perhaps drive isn't a direct reference to the actual driving of cars but to Driver's drive or longing for human interaction, compassion, perhaps love. Now contrast these images and feelings with the brutal violence of the film. Everything that the film has built up to the point of the first gunshot is threatened to be torn apart as violently and quickly as possible. No scene exemplifies this point more than when Driver and Irene share an intimate moment in an elevator next to a man with a gun. I dare not say what happens next.

Drive stars Ryan Gosling as The Driver. Interestingly he probably has the least amount of lines of any of the characters on film but he plays him with a quiet strength and calmness. He does not need lengthy dialogue or even a name. He is defined by his actions. We don't really need him to say much anyways when the supporting cast is so good. I think Carey Mulligan (An Education) is a budding star. I've never seen Albert Brooks in a non comedic role but he is delightfully bad as a mob boss. Ron Perlman plays Brooks's partner in crime and is always good as a villain. Bryan Cranston, from my favorite show on TV right now Breaking Bad, plays Driver's one friend in the world, the man who sets him up for jobs and such. He plays him with the same edginess as Walter White.


I've mentioned the violence in the film multiple times and I'll just again point out how shocking it is. This is easily the most violent movie I've seen in a while, enough to make some people squeamish. It drives home the point and I think it works wonderfully in contrast to the subdued nature of much of the film. Of course, I cannot mention Drive without mentioning the car chases. Surprisingly there is not that much driving going on. There is one scene in the beginning where The Driver gets away by using his wits and knowledge of the streets rather than outrunning cops in hot pursuit. The biggest chase comes in the middle and it is a high octane scene that would make Fast and the Furious blush. Two different style of chases, one slow and deliberate, the other fast and frantic, both equally exhilarating.

I really liked Drive. It was nothing like I expected; it was so much more.


Grade: A