A 1950s throwback, action-packed drama with an ’80s inspired soundtrack is the best way to describe “Drive.” The film is based on a novella of the same title by popular fiction noir writer James Sallis. Everything about “Drive” is cool and, after watching it, it’s clear why director Nichols Winding Refn won the Best Director award at Cannes this year.
In “Drive,” Ryan Gosling plays a stunt driver called “Driver”, who doubles as a wheelman and mechanic. He falls for a waitress named Irene (Carey Mulligan), who unfortunately has a bit of baggage — she has a young son and a husband in prison, who is about to be released. As Driver and Irene’s steamy but weirdly platonic affair progresses, he enters a deal to be a racecar driver backed by two sketchy mobsters.
Driver enters the contract with Bernie (Albert Brooks, “Taxi Driver”) and Nino (Ron Perlman, “Hell Boy”) only because he trusts his employer and friend, Shannon (Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad”).
Soon, Irene’s ex-con husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac, “Body of Lies”), is released from prison. Driver and Irene’s affair is put on hold, and the trouble begins. While in prison, Standard had built up a small debt to some bad guys in exchange for protection. They come to collect, forcing Standard to rob a pawnshop.
Driver steps in when the thugs threaten to hurt Irene and her son, demanding to be the driver for the job and offering to pay Standard’s debt if his family is not harmed once it is done. Reluctantly, a deal is made, and Standard is to rob the pawnshop with a trashy accomplice Blanche (Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men”). All goes well with the robbery at first, but the film soon takes a bloody turn when the shop owner appears just as they’re about to make their getaway.
Refn should be commended not only for his direction, but also for making a fresh action movie. In a time when the industry is spitting out unnecessary remakes or mediocre films, “Drive” stands out in a good way. His style is graceful and hypnotic, and it is easy to tell that he was not afraid to take his time to develop the story. Scenes linger, and there usually is not a lot of dialogue — but when there is, it’s simple, telling and witty. What is truly intriguing is the fact that throughout the whole movie, Gosling’s character is never given a name — he is just referred to as “Driver.”
Gosling is sexy, mysterious and scary. He demands your attention as he plays the good guy that you do not want to mess with. Mulligan is sweet and sincere as Irene — the audience feels her pain as she struggles with her love for Driver, her son and her husband. Cranston is top notch as the nice guy who gets in with the wrong guys. Brooks and Perlman are perfect seedy mobsters, who are horrifying but witty. Hendricks plays a fantastically sultry and trashy vixen.
But a word from the wise: “Drive” is super-violent (think along the lines of a Quentin Tarantino flick), so if you cannot handle lots of blood, this may not be for you.
thescene@theeagleonline.com
