Drive

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, Kaden Leos

Synopsis:

Ryan Gosling stars as “Driver”, a Los Angeles wheelman for hire; stunt driving for movie productions, with a sideline in being a getaway driver for armed heists. Though a loner by nature, Driver can't help feeling drawn to his beautiful neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband Standard (Oscar Isaac).

A heist, intended to pay off Standard's protection money, goes wrong and Driver finds himself set up and going on the offensive after discovering that a local syndicate of known criminals is after him to take a fall and they’re going to use Irene and her son Benicio (Kaden Leos) to do it.

Based upon an excellent crime novel by the award-winning author James Sallis, Drive could have been made in 1983 had there not been a clear use of mobile phones in the film. It’s a highly stylised movie that calls to mind an era when Risky Business was doing the rounds on VHS. From the beginning neon pink titles to the stark ambiguous ending, Drive could easily be put out as a double bill along with Michael Mann’s Thief. There’s either a conscious or sub-conscious attempt to emulate the sort of style that Mann is famous for. Refn makes overhead cityscape shots and skyline shots of LA interesting, even after the hundreds of times we might have seen the city in movies and television. The locations used aren’t typical either. We get to see the back streets and back alleys of LA, along with the seedier strip malls of the area. The only exception is a shot of Driver taking Irene and Benicio out for a spin along the Los Angeles River, famous for being used in Grease among other movies.

Instead of cluttering the screenplay with character exposition, Refn uses the actor’s gestures and actions as a window into the sorts of character they are, a little like the early seasons of Miami Vice, when Crockett would get that hard stare from Castillo. Looks between Mulligan and Gosling say far more than words can, to express their states of mind, for example. This isn’t true of all the characters. Nino (Ron Perlman) gets some great lines, as does Bernie (Albert Brooks), in a flurry of post-Tarantino cussing and inter-mingled with some explicit violence.

Ryan Gosling’s stoic Driver is not far removed from the 70s screen action heroes popularised by actors such as Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson. He’s a seemingly gentle character that remains mono syllabic, cold, and assured for most of the movie, then capable of the most extreme violence when someone close is threatened. There is a Samurai ethic within Driver; from the code of his work and his insistence on the “5 minutes” to the giri he feels he has towards Irene and Benicio.

This is poignant when he arranges to help Standard. Instead of being aloof towards Irene and her family upon the return of her husband, he becomes a family friend bonding to the point where he takes it upon himself to help a man who has what he ideally wants. Gosling reminded me a bit of Michael Dudikoff in American Ninja; quiet, aloof (up until he forms a friendship with Irene) and alone. Neither character is very good at social interaction outside of their individual discipline. Driver is a schizoid character and implies that he hasn’t had much need throughout his life to be a social animal. His relationship begins a little like Leon and Mathilda in the Luc Besson movie. This reference is further highlighted when Standard is beaten and left injured while Benicio watches helpless.

The character of Driver commands the pace of the movie. For the most part there is no actual hurry to get anywhere reflecting his calm outlook on life, but when the action and violence appear the movie shifts up a number of gears. The chases are fast and frenetic, the violence is bloody and shocking.

Carey Mulligan plays a sympathetic character in Irene, despite not being given much to work with. Her casting is interesting because had a lesser actor been in the role, that actress might not have managed to contain the emotions that run through the characters. This is a film about restraint, up to a point. Both Driver and Irene put a lid on their feelings through most of the movie, like a pressure cooker, until they seep out a bit, with Irene and explode with Driver. Irene is one of only two female characters in the entire movie. Christina Hendricks plays Blanche, part of the low rent criminal underworld that helps get Driver into the sticky situation he finds himself in, in the last part of the movie. Hendricks is astounding in the little screen time that she gets. I’ve only seen her in the first few episodes of Mad Men, but it’s almost as if she’s reveling in playing a character far removed from her TV counterpart. Her terrified emotions counterpoint Driver’s coldness, at one point.

Bryan Cranston, (Walter White in the TV show Breaking Bad) is effective as Shannon, Driver’s legal(ish), down on his luck, employer. Cranston is likeable as Shannon as the mechanic who employs Driver during the day. Both Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks play two Jewish gangsters. Perlman gets his teeth into the role and spits out his lines with his usual enthusiasm. Brooks is a cooler customer to Perlman’s hot headed character but his initial likeability is quashed as we witness his true psychopathic nature later in the film. Oscar Isaac (Robin Hood, Body of Lies) plays Standard in a way that you’re not quite sure of him. He impresses with the little screen time that he gets, like Hendricks. Kaden Leos, as Benicio, gets to ground the Driver in as much of the real world that he’s allowed to immerse in, whether it be from his own inbuilt restrictions or circumstance’s.

So, what of the driving scenes? The opening scene is a master class in tension, as Driver weaves in and around the traffic, utilising the LA road infrastructure to outwit and avoid police cars and helicopters. Further car chases and scenes reminded me of the movie Bullitt, in that there’s very little flash and spectacle in them. They’re entertaining but there’s no over the top explosions, just driving technique and crashed cars. The violence, when it comes, is hard hitting and memorable. The screenplay is lean and mean with no fat, yet it moves at it’s own pace; it emulates the way in which Driver looks at the world, which is fairly leisurely, until it’s time for quick and decisive action.

Refn directs with flair that I hope we will get to see in some higher budgeted movies. Not that the budget is an issue in Drive, but I’m expecting Refn to be in demand after this. He uses a number of interesting camera techniques to get the shot he wants, along with lighting effects. For example, a tense lift journey becomes a stylish kiss between Driver and Irene, whilst Driver spots a gun on their fellow passenger. Driver then turns his attention to the gunman before dispensing a bout of extreme violence upon him. As the pair kiss, the lighting is bright, then it turns darker as Driver’s darker impulses kick in; literally kick in. I like the passenger POV shots too; very effective.

For me, the music is the most important stylistic aspect of the movie. The director and composer, Cliff Martinez, worked together to deliver a score that gives an 80s atmosphere whilst grounding it in our era. The songs are cleverly chosen as they are produced in the style of the early 80s. Referencing my earlier comments, these tracks wouldn’t sound out of place added in to a movie like Risky Business, but they give scenes in Drive a memorable feeling that stays with you after the movie. If any of you remember the commercial for Grand Theft Auto with “I Ran” by A Flock of Seagulls playing in the background, the track “Nightcall” by Kravinsky and Lovefoxx gives Drive a similar vibe over the beginning credits.

Summary:

I consider this to be the Miami Vice movie that Michael Mann should have made; not only evoking the spirit of the 80s in the present, but eschewing the stark reality and cop speak that Miami Vice (2006) portrayed.

Although I can safely say that this is my movie of the year, Drive is not going to meet everyone’s expectations, based on this review and many of the reviews that give it high praise: But you could be one of those viewers that regards it as a past, present and future classic.

10 out of 10 (Wayfarer)

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