Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Rottentomatoes.com Rating: 93%
My Rating: 8.5/10
Warning: Potential Spoilers
When I went to see Drive, I really didn't know anything about it except that it was starring Ryan Gosling as the Driver. The only thing I knew was the Rottentomatoes rating and the high recommendations that some of my friends (that I have good faith in when it comes to film) gave me. Unlike my mom, fifteen or so minutes in, I realized it was not your classic mainstream Hollywood film. [And apparently I was correct. The film was featured in the Cannes Film Festival.]
Instead, it had a more art film elements: the protagonist was not easy to warm up to, there was a lack of dialogue, there was more focus on the style, etc. - I knew how to watch and appreciate art cinema because of my time abroad when I attended the Locarno Film Festival in 2010 while studying World Cinema and Film Festivals. That being said, my mom did not know how to understand it and would have probably appreciated a film like Moneyball instead which is probably a Hollywood-style film.
Anyway - the film is great. Gosling's character acts as a stunt driver in during the day but at night becomes a hired getaway driver for various criminal activities. He eventually forms feelings for his neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son. Sadly, Irene is married and her husband that is released from prison and gets caught up in some bad business with local Los Angeles crime bosses. In the Driver's attempt to help Irene's husband, things get complicated.
The cast is quality. Gosling gives a convincing performance as the broody and dangerous but has-a-soft-spot-for-lonely-women-and-children Driver and Mulligan presents herself well as the neighbor who just wants to know more about this quite mystery man that lives down the hall. [I have heard about the controversy surrounding Mulligan being cast in a role originally meant for someone of Latina descent and that does disappoint me greatly.] I think if this film did not have Gosling as the lead or if it wasn't played by another well-known actor, I don't think mainstream audiences would have flocked to the theaters to see it.
The cinematography in this film was gorgeous - the lighting of the film is some of the best I've seen in a while. The mood-lighting in some of the scenes towards the end are extremely strong. The cinematography wasn't the only star either: the soundtrack to the film is amazing. Overall, great film but not necessarily amazing. I sort of was left with this feeling of disconnect which is actually very familiar - much like how I felt after seeing many films in Locarno.
My recommendation is that if you go see Drive, realize that it is not your typical Hollywood film but instead contains many stylistic elements of an art film. Sure, there is quite a bit of violent scenes and action sequences but before you get to those parts one must understand that there is a lot of pause in between.
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