Drive – review
Ryan Gosling in Drive
With what was a surprise hit at Cannes, Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn – best known for his 2008 cult biopic Bronson – took home the Best Director prize for his latest one-man thrill ride, Drive.
The 41-year-old film-maker received critical acclaim for his tale about the notorious prisoner Charles Bronson, who has a reputation on a par with Mark “Chopper” Read – which helped springboard the career of Tom Hardy, who is currently the brightest rising star in Hollywood right now.
For Refn’s latest feature, he cast Ryan Gosling in the lead role, and like Hardy’s Bronson, Gosling – Oscar-nominated for his part Half Nelson and more widely known for his turn in The Notebook – also delivers an intense performance.
Pre-release build-up suggested the film was about a top stunt driver, whose talent is noticed by some shady characters, who then use him for their criminal heists and hits, before things get messy. Enter screeching tyres, break-neck car chases and full-scale chaos on the streets of LA. However, the premise and action is much darker, slicker and classier in reality and the movie is closer to Taxi Driver than the Fast and the Furious.
The storyline in fact consists of a part-time stunt driver – working in a garage when not on set – who from time to time offers his services as a getaway driver for criminal elements with whom his employer, Shannon (Bryan Cranston), is connected. One of the senior figures in these criminal connections, Bernie (Albert Brooks), is approached by the Shannon with a proposal about using his man for a boxcar racing venture.
Gosling’s character is portrayed, right from the opening credits, as a no-nonsense, precise and technically-accomplished man, and a man of few words. However, this mysterious and calm demeanour begins to crack when he becomes friendly with a young mother, Irene (Carey Mulligan), who lives a couple of doors down from his flat, and we soon see a more tender, human side to him – although still appearing continually watchful.
He sees more and more of Irene and her son and the viewer is clearly meant to warm to the driver and his good intentions. But then she drops a bombshell; telling him of her husband’s imminent release from prison. From this point onwards the action, tension and pace of Drive escalates steeply. Irene’s husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac), comes out of the joint with baggage and a debt to repay, and when the driver steps in to help, he inadvertently steps on the wrong people’s toes and into a predicament far more serious than a minor debt-clearing operation.
The violent ramifications that follow, bring his and Irene’s world into mayhem that suddenly seem difficult to come back from, and not only Bernie, but a belligerent gangster called Nina – a great cameo from Ron Perlman – become dragged into the melee.
What is so impressive about Drive – beyond the slick Tarantino-esque style, stunningly infused electro-indie soundtrack (scored by Cliff Martinez), and gripping action scenes – is the director’s changing of gears; cranking up the pace from 0-60mph in a matter of seconds.
Gosling gives his enigmatic character a brooding temperament that keeps the viewer in suspense, just waiting for him – like a cocked gun – to suddenly explode, and each time he does so, it is simply devastating.
The protagonist has no real back-story, no name (to the viewer) and no defined personality, but he has magnetism (which attracts Irene), a menace in his eyes and a storm in his mind. He is a loner; a Travis Bickle-type anti-hero who has taken on a moralistic crusade without really being connected fully with the society himself.
Drive is a must-see film, which brings together influences from 70s’ and 80s’ road and B-movies, giving it the Hollywood sheen and effects, while injecting enough realism amidst the unsettlingly violence to stop it spilling over into farce.
Drive (18)
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac, Albert Brooks
Running time: 100 minutes
Drive is showing at the Rio Cinema until 29 September and at Rich Mix Cinema until 6 October