Drive Reviews

Warning: Spoilers
I should point out at the onset that this really isn't the sort of film I like--so keep this in mind. I decided to watch "Drive" because it received a lot of critical attention but was ignored at the Oscars. And, since I'd heard so much good stuff about it, I decided to rent it.

"Drive" is a SUPER-violent film. While the number of deaths isn't as extreme as some films, the deaths that do occur are among the bloodiest and closeup you will ever see in a movie. You see a person get their head blown apart at close range with a shotgun, you see a man stomped to death (complete with lots of squishy sound effects) and a guy stabbed in the eye and then in the throat! Do NOT let kids see this film and think twice about seeing it yourself. It is brutal...very, very brutal--and this might be why it didn't get any major Oscar nominations.

The film begins very well. I really liked the music and thought it quite fitting. Ryan Gosling plays a guy who is a spectacularly talented driver--so much that he does stunts for films and also drives getaway for crooks. I know the film makers were trying to make him super-cool by having him show ZERO emotion and talk rarely. I just thought this was too underplayed for my taste. As for the mobsters in the film, they are quite the opposite. Albert Brooks (yes, THAT Albert Brooks) plays a maniac killer--a guy who loves to use knives and razors on his victims. Ron Perlman isn't much nicer! Bryan Cranston is also on hand but never gets around to killing anyone.

When Gosling meets a nice lady (Cary Mulligan) and befriends her and her son, he learns she has a husband who is in jail. Instead of trying to steal her, he actually helps the guy when he gets out of jail. It seems that the mob is going to make the husband perform one last robbery--then they'll let him and his family live--and Gosling agrees to drive the getaway car. But it all blows up in their face--it's all a setup and it looks like EVERYONE will eventually die. Can the almost zombie-like Gosling manage to take on the gang and survive?

I personally respect the film but thought it was way too over-mannered and way too artsy for my taste--as well as WAY too bloody. If this if your thing, fine. I just didn't enjoy this sort of thing though it's well made.

Oftentimes, films require emotional heft and topicality to be considered valid cinema. However, there are occasions that such self-indulgent celebration of artifice lacks a substratum of relevance to real issues, social or political, and, in the magnification of viscera and superficiality, functions as an experience laden with mood and atmosphere to the extent that it exceeds all expectations and registers as pure cinematic pleasure.

All the ingenuity in terms of its neon-drenched aesthetic, highly apt and synonymous synth-saturated soundtrack and inexplicably mesmeric ambience provides an opportunity for serious reflection on hypnotic retro cinema. "Drive" updates 1970s action and B-movie film-making styles, utilizing 1980s effulgent lighting and imagery, echoing preceding genres and reimagining them for a new generation to rediscover vicariously through the radiant, dream-like prism of Nicolas Winding Refn's dexterous, utterly enthralling neo noir. Not a single frame, word or moment feels inappreciably superfluous, and therein lies its sagacity: the director's fastidious execution daringly walks the precarious tightrope of cognate and formulaic, implementing a distinctive visual and aural world inhabited by a character as immediately captivating and enigmatic as The Man With No Name.

Despite its overarching mainstream appeal in the form of its laconic, pulchritudinous protagonist, lush LA setting and gratuitous violence, this is a meticulously constructed, orchestrated and designed homage to the past with revivifying art-house sensibilities. Brutal and bittersweet in equal measure, the story centres on a varsity jacket-wearing getaway driver and stuntman who becomes the target of the criminal underworld. Such outright escapism could have appeared gratifying and decadent from a less subjective, centralised directorial perspective, yet the essence of its source material and litany of influences are formatted into the vacuum of the film. Refn's thematic preoccupation and recognizable visual style are indicative of his newfound position as an independent auteur operating within the Hollywood model. Unfortunately, due to the elusive nature of most breakout indie hits and the law of diminishing returns, "Drive" may end up being considered the premature peak of Refn's career... then again, lightning can strike twice.

...Drive vibrates with a mood of foreboding and impending doom. The ticking bomb tension is brilliantly punctuated by bursts of gentle beauty and tenderness juxtaposed against interludes of horrifically graphic violence that materialize as suddenly as a heart attack. With its hyper-stylized blend of violence, music, and striking imagery, Drive represents a fully realized vision of arthouse action.

I already saw this movie but since it didn't really blow me away the first time around, I was really eager to give it a second chance. Indeed, back then, I did take me 2 years after its release to finally watch this seemingly overhyped feature. To be honest, I am always rather cautious with such movies and the fact that I tend to build up some sky high expectations doesn’t help. Eventually, I thought it was indeed pretty good but, to be honest, nothing really amazing, I’m afraid. Sure, I have to admit that it looked really terrific and it is even more impressive when you think that Nicolas Winding Refn had no knowledge of Los Angeles before shooting this flick (Apparently, Ryan Gosling drove him around to make him acquainted with the City of Angels). Furthermore, the music was just great, one of the most mesmerizing soundtracks I came across lately. The actors were also pretty good and I especially enjoyed Albert Brooks who was phenomenal playing against type a ruthless gangster. So, how come I didn’t really love this movie like (apparently) everyone else? Honestly, I didn’t care much about the story. Basically, the whole thing takes place just because the guy has a thing for his neighbor, that’s it. I thought it was pretty thin and the romantic intrigue was hardly convincing. Basically, you have a guy and a girl and they fall for each over for no particular reason except that without this love affair, there wouldn’t be any story to tell. I also had a hard time to care for the main character. Indeed, Gosling delivered a solid performance but since you don’t learn much about him, he always remained a little too far away. I understand that he was a throwback to such characters like ‘The Man with No Name’ immortalized by Clint Eastwood but the big difference is that ‘The Man with No Name’ obviously didn’t give a sh*t about anything and that was the only thing you needed to know about him. In the case of ‘The Driver’, there was obviously a lot going on in his head but since you never get to know him, it was rather frustrating. Still, they managed to create a great mood and I definitely enjoyed the whole thing. Basically, it was all style here but no substance whatsoever. Anyway, to conclude, even though it didn’t completely work for me, it remains a really intriguing movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

i liked how gosling was silent for a good bit of the movie, i feel his accent doesnt match his face so that worked for me. its was a pretty film, i loved the orange/blue colours and the cars. i cant decide if the violence was unnecessary or adequate. i think a neat ending would have required the death of gosling's character, and the longish scene of him staring and not moving was a cheap trick. overall good movie with a great soundtrack 7/10

This movie is all about form and not so much about substance. That´s not such a bad thing, mind you. Movies are not only shot to tell stories and develop characters, this is shot only to create emotions and offer eye candy. And it succeeds.

The main character is only a hero, a cold, distant, cool and nice kind of antihero to describe him better. He is not a real person, he doesnt come from anywhere, he just exists waiting for the story to come to him and plays it off till the end as if he didn´t care. The 'girl' is more human but not really believable, it´s just an excuse for the camera to shoot good scenes (she is lovable enough to interest you though). The bad guys, the supporting cast, every other character involved in this film are just bodies to recieve the carefully studied lighting while wearing the correct colors for the shot.

I repeat: this is not such a bad thing. They choose two things to work on and they work hard on them. The first one, the eye candy, is really well executed. The photography of Newton Thomas Sigel is bright in colors and deep in shadows. It´s not the kind of cinematography to use if you want it to feel real but that´s not the intention here in any possible way so it works better than fine.

The other element they try to explote is emotions. The movie doesnt tell us an original story, it doesn't even try. The film could have told the same in half an hour if that would have been the intention and it wouldn´t have felt rushed. No, they try to give the intensity of a thriller and the profundity of a tragedy while making us feel repulsed by gritty violence.

It´s a lie, a well executed one. The film only presents the situations and lets the spectators to transfer their own emotions into the movie filling all the gaps themselves. The tense/romantic music and the long takes are the frame for your own feelings to make the movie personal. I think that´s the reason it has had such a good reception in general. That and the eye candy.

All in all I dont think it´s a bad movie. It has some memorable moments, it´s original (and only that is much appreciated) and it´s really well executed. I guess I just don´t love pretty violence so much to give it more than a 7/10.

Style-over-Substance if done properly is an amazing thing and Refn's Drive is a great example of this. The opening chase/hide'n'seek scene is flawlessly executed and sets the tone to the rest of the movie, aswell as introducing us to the nameless protagonist in an interesting and effective fashion. The rest of the movie plays very much like the opening scene as far as style is concerned and it works extremely well. The picture looks fantastic as you'd expect from the director of the visually astounding Valhalla Rising.

The story is incredibly simple, the way it is told however is highly complex. The Driver's personality remains a mystery from beginning to end but develops a relationship with a woman called Irene (Great performance by Carey Mulligan, sweetening the otherwise rough and explicit escapade of violence and revenge. Refn has a way of portraying violence in a stylish manner without taking away from the shock factor. It's a very mature piece and definitely not something I'd recommend to kids. A lot of people criticize Drive for the excess of violence but I personally think it is necessary to tell the story and for the characterization of the driver.

All in all, I'd highly recommend Drive as it is one of the best films of 2011.

"How 'bout this. You shut your mouth. Or I'll kick your teeth down your throat and I'll shut it for you" With many mixed reviews of this movie, I was very intrigued. The movie starts off pretty much silent, but a silence that added suspense. Most of the movie is like this, lots of pauses and silence. Which many people hated, and which I loved, and thought it made the movie that much more intense. Like in No Country for Old Men when there is a lot of a quiet moments. The movie's style put you into the 80s with it's writing and music. The style made the movie much more brighter and defiantly brought it to life. The plot wasn't complicated but simple, but what made the movie so awesome was that the style and delivery made it very hard not to turn away. The acting was great, especially by Ryan Gosling, any girls who think they're seeing another pretty face Ryan, think again, even though he plays that good too. He is a violent driver, who will rip the face off anyone. This is easily his best performance. Surprised there isn't Oscar. The supporters all had times to shine, and they shined. Don't let the bad reviews make you from not watching this, because it's awesome. I was shaking most of the time, that was due to the non stop suspense. The 3rd best movie of the year!

Just watch it, I can;t believe not very many people have seen this when I ask about it. It's an awesome awesome awesome movie, I think that it's different from alot of other movies coming out now. It has great acting, and a great story line, and like everyone else said.... The soundtrack is perfect for the movie.