DRIVE (2011) Review

(Sorry I haven't written anything in a while)

  What happens when a film has chase sequences that Steve McQueen would be proud of, great performances, pumps the adrenaline, ultra-violent much like a 1980s neo noir, remarkably fresh, and is like Black Swan in overdrive? Well you get one of the major surprises in film of 2011, Drive. It overflowed with critical praise and became an immediate cult classic.  It absolutely deserved more than one Oscar nomination. The film is the finest of its sort. No one can truthfully judge it against any film because it is beyond a doubt that different. If the viewer is searching for a regular action film or searching for a striking love story, this is not the film for the viewer. Drive is definitely not for everybody. What begins as a calm film develops into authentic scenes of carnage accompanied by a fantastic score which goes perfectly with every scene. If the viewer can handle the bloodbath then they should see this film. Drive is in every way a different, surreal, unforgettable, fresh, fun, beautiful, revolting, mesmerizing, thrilling, and striking film due to its fantastic score and marvelous acting.

    Drive shows Ryan Gosling like the viewer has never seen him before as he delivers his best work to date. Gosling is absolutely astonishing, instantaneously iconic. He brings an unbelievable performance even though the character has no name and hardly talks throughout the entire film. He brings “the driver” character a depth that no other critic thought possible before seeing it. There is no back story to the driver just like Eastwood’s “Dollar Trilogy”, which makes the film better. He’s not the typical Rock or Vin Diesel mindless action hero. He is a classic action hero. Countless people did not comprehend this and instantly thought it was awful acting or directing. The audience learns just enough to be on his side, a decent but imperfect hero fighting for the innocent, a modern day Shane. Actually all of the actors in Drive are marvelous, most namely Albert Brooks for his disturbing portrayal of Bernie Rose, who is razor sharp, reckless, and unpredictable. Of course this is really Gosling’s film and he lives in the character completely.

    There’s something unquestionably retro about Drive from the radiantly splashed opening neon pink credits, accompanied by the eighties infused synthesizer-pop soundtrack which is so unforgettable that it stays in the ears for numerous days. Cliff Martinez’s perfect score fits flawlessly with each and every scene, in addition to Chromatics whose song “Tick of the Tock” gave more tension to the opening scene, there are also other various artists such as Kavinsky, Desire, and College. It adds a unique and to a great extent wanted stylistic, artificial, and overall lush style to a lush film. It’s filled with beautiful imagery of the LA underworld which Michael Mann would be proud of.  Drive is full of stylish passages, non-central structures of characters, amazing camera movements, and astounding chopper shots of neon lighted L.A. It’s quite obvious that director Refn is a guy who takes his style serious. Refn’s unique art-house flair and Hollywood-style action is that to be praised.

       Despite its absolute craftsmanship, there have been some negative comments from certain viewers on Drive, which are not credible at all. Like “It’s too boring because there is hardly any dialogue and the driver doesn’t talk”. First off, a silent role is more successful due to the detail of the performance. Gosling shows an ability to create tension using the slightest widening of his eyes and tensing of his jaw-line. This is the most focused performance in quite some time. Second the director expresses a story to the viewer by visuals and conveying emotion without heavy dialogue. It makes the film a great work of art. The viewers were most likely raised on Transformers and those terrible Fast and Furious films.

     Intelligent action filmmaking is so hard to come by these days, Drive delivers a refreshing variety. The music makes the film more unique, much like the acting and cinematography. It pins the headlights on the gloomy suggestions of unbridled fascination and good meaning gone haywire. Drive in its cursive fluorescent pink nature, positions out as the best film of 2011, pure cinematic excellence, and cinema gold.  Be smart and see this film.

9.8 out of 10