Drive (Film District)
Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence, language and some nudity.
Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendrick, Ron Perlman, Kaden Leos.
Written by Hossein Amini, based on the book by James Sallis.
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn.
GRADE: C
REVIEW:
I miss Steve McQueen. He was one those ultra-cool film personas who always seemed comfortable even as the characters he played rode hard and fast. There have been few who have been able to pick up McQueen's title as the coolest man on wheels. Drive, starring Ryan Gosling is Danish director Nicholas Winding Refn's attempt to perhaps recapture some of that McQueen-cool, but seems more like a movie stuck in 'Park,' despite some awesome visuals.
Gosling plays the unnamed 'Driver' who works as a mechanic by day and moonlights as a wheelman-for-hire, delivering bad guys to and from heists in and around Los Angeles. 'Driver' also works as a Hollywood stunt driver, and keeps to himself, except for a good working relationship with his autoshop boss Shannon (Bryan Cranston). 'Driver' eventually meets and begins a platonic relationship with his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), the wife of a man in prison and mother to a little boy named Benicio (Kaden Leos). When Irene's hubby Standard (Oscar Isaac) gets out of jail, 'Driver' helps him make good on a debt to some of his old prison mates by agreeing to drive him on a pawn shop heist, which goes really, really bad.
'Driver' finds out that the million-dollar pawn shop heist is connected at a crime syndicate that involves Shannon's two mafioso contacts Bernie (Albert Brooks) and Nino (Ron Perlman). When Shannon informs 'Driver' of the situation, the driver switches into full protector mode, working fast to save Irene, Benicio and himself from the wrath of Nino and Bernie.
First, allow me to enumerate what Drive is NOT. It is not a film in the vein of the Fast and Furious genre, loaded with chases and shootouts and tough-guy slogans. It is also not a pure action movie, fitting into more of an indie-drama, heavy on theme and short on story. Drive is also not very entertaining, unless you like long pauses, with the occasional brutal gore.
Gosling is also not Steve McQueen, despite being very talented. Some of that talent and screen presence shines in Drive, but Gosling spends most of his time driving around in the dark and staring at Carey Mulligan, which makes it hard to like his character. Another unlikeable part of Gosling's 'Driver' character is the lack of any back story that explains his introverted, yet dangerous lifestyle. It's like opening up a comic book in the middle pages.
A lot of film afficcionados and critics have raved about Drive, but I'm not. Refn's cinematic style certainly has merit and at times sets an intriguing visual mood, but Drive's worn-out and predictable "one-man-stands-up-to-the-mob" story is so slow, and seems more like watching the Transporter movies on 1/4 speed.
Refn's style seems to centered on a lot of brutal violence and gore, which is, I suppose an art form unto itself (violence art?). If you enjoy lots of bloodletting and exploding heads set to indie-techno music, Drive is for you.
If you're not into the "violent art" scene, drive away...fast.
