Drive was one of this year's movies that got me pretty excited. Initial reviews were very good (its got over an 8 on IMDB, no small feat), and the trailer looked promising. I never got the chance to see it soon after its release, but a day off from work today, allowed me to finally give it a look last night.
The movie puts Ryan Gosling, a young actor who seems to be rising in popularity, in the main role of an individual simply called "The Driver" or just "Kid" (we never get to hear his real name), a mechanic/part-time stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for some spending money. That sounds like a fairly unoriginal plot-line, and I am sure that it is. Luckily that back-drop doesn't serve as the crux of the film, but instead it is Gosling's offer to help the ex-con/heavily-indebted-to-shady-types-husband of his cute apartment neighbor (played by an English actress, Carey Mulligan), that becomes the main them. Gosling's character had befriended Mulligan and her little boy while the husband was in the clinger, but upon his return home, things get nasty, and Gosling gets involved.
As is customary, I won't go any deeper into the story, but I can tell you that the movie is extremely violent and dark. I mean, it is dark thematically, but also literally, some scenes were hard to watch because you couldn't see what the hell was going on. It is not action-packed, don't expect that. But the scenes that involve confrontations are incredibly brutal, cringe-worthy, in-fact. I myself did not find this to be a turn-off, but some might. "The Driver" was not a very, lets say, loquacious character. He speaks in one-word answers or very short sentences, sometimes a nod of the head would suffice as a response. I think some people (judging by reactions on IMDB) didn't care for this, but I actually liked it. The character, it appears, is supposed to be very serious and composed, I thought this was fitting for the role, and Gosling did a very good job at it. It seems simple, but I don't think so. There a some other good actors in this, Ron Perlman, Bryan Cranston, and Albert Brooks have roles, and all put in a good shift. Perlman and Brooks' characters in particular are fun to watch. I have also heard complaints regarding the movie's soundtrack. Now, the lyrical songs that are played are pretty crap, but there are some instrumental bits that are really good, and I think appropriate for the scenes that is was played in.
Some complaints. It is really far too short, clocking an hour and a half plus change. Sorry, but that doesn't really justify forking out for the movie theater. The ending kind of blows too. It leaves much to the imagination, which I don't really agree with. People pay and spend time to go see an interesting story, one with a beginning, a middle, and an end. I, and I imagine many others, don't really go for "fill-in-the-blank" affairs. They probably could have tacked another ten minutes or so by putting on a better ending.
Verdict: I liked this film, but bear in mind it is an acquired taste. Again, it is very dark (this time I mean thematically) and for some might be too much. I can't say that it should be seen in theaters either. Its too damn short. There are some car chase scenes, but I don't know if the action warrants a big-screen experience. Its a good piece of film-making though with some good acting. I'm gonna say see it. Grade: B+
If you liked this movie you might also like: I'm a little stumped on this one. It seems like there would be many films similar to this, and there probably are, but none that strike me at the moment. If you are a really big fan of the bloody violence in this film, then get help.
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