Have You Ever Had One of Those Moments When You Pop in a New Movie, And it Just Blows You Away?
10 years ago, I bought a DVD called Drive. I remember seeing Ryan Gosling on the front cover with a cool jacket (still have that same disc as part of my ever-growing collection). I did not know much about the Drive movie except that there was some serious buzz around it. I put the DVD into the player and sat down on my grandparents’ coach (where I lived for most of my life). I was home alone that night and did not expect the amazing cinematic experience that I had in store for me. When the credits began to roll, I could not believe the style and thrills that I had experienced. This was well before I watched too many arthouse films and the artfulness of the film was something special. It made me want to check out all the works of Nicholas Winding Refn.
How Did That Turn Out For Me?
The rest of Refn’s track record was not something to write home about. During college, my now fiancée and I started Bronson. What an experience! I honestly have only watched half of the film (something that I need to remedy at some point). Tom Hardy was incredible in the role, but I don’t know if I was ready to take on that arthouse flick. Then of course Refn has followed up Drive with a pair of other films. Only God Forgives…was an experience. Take all the styles of Drive and turn it up to 27. The lighting, the colors, the slow-motion…it was tantalizing. But the rest of the film just didn’t click with me. Maybe too many Oedipal themes for my liking. Neon Demon on the other hand… was something interesting. No one can deny the incredible visual flair and style that Refn creates. The story and characters were a bit lacking for me, but I was glued to my seat trying to figure out where that cannibal tale was going.
But That is Enough About Refn’s Other Works, Right?
Even if the others didn’t click with me, Drive is a film that resonates so deeply with me. The best place to start for me would be the incredible needle drops that Refn chose for the film. But let’s not overshadow the score that Cliff Martinez created. As the film opens on The Driver’s latest gig, the score is thumping and engrossing. This is a perfectly pulsating match to the thrilling sequence at the beginning of the film. This score layers over the tense sequence in a way that feels rhythmic and fluid. But then you have the songs that Refn chose to use on the soundtrack. During the opening credits, “Nightcall” by Kavinsky is an absolute jam. The synthesizer work is smooth and cool (“cool” is probably the best word to describe the aura that Refn achieves around this film) while laying down the auditory personality of the film. Seeing Gosling driving around to this song might be one of the coolest sequences in all of the film.
But the Atmosphere is Not the Only Thing That The Music Creates, Right?
College and Electric Youth create what might be the perfect love song in the film. As The Drive and Irene look across the car into each other’s eyes while “A Real Hero” plays might be one of the most magnetic moments on screen. The way Gosling and Mulligan look longingly into each other’s eyes with the soft and sombre vocals in the background is something cinematic and special. The song continues the atmosphere set up by “Nightcall” but takes a softer and emotional turn.
The way the song comes back in the end also captures where The Driver’s heart truly is (no matter what he has been through).
Gosling is significantly stoic in the film, but the music is a great conduit in presenting his underlying feelings.
Then you have “Under Your Spell” which matches the electronic vibe of the rest of the film and captures the magnetism of The Driver. Irene may be staring at her husband, Standard, but we know where her real feelings lie.
But Drive Film is More Than Some Amazing Songs, Right?
Refn shows off some top-tier filmmaking in Drive that captures powerful perpetual energy. Slow-motion can be overutilized and cliched, but Refn is able to use it to match the smooth motion and editing of the film. As stated earlier…this film is “cool”. Seeing how The Driver moves in his slow walk, hands in his pockets, rocking that white jacket with a yellow scorpion on it…perfection. The light is expertly laid across every frame with great use of neon and shadow. Nothing looks sharper than Gosling staring off-camera through a small window of light through the shadows. Another trademark of Refn’s work is the use of violence. Where a lot of the film feels poetic in its use of music and slow motion, there are shocking bursts of violence. The violence is brutal and bloody. Watching The Driver stomping a man’s face in is shocking as is the shotgun shell that literally blows up Christina Hendricks head.
What is one of the Driving Thematic Ideas of the Film as well as the Plot?
Violence. This violence creeps up on serene moments and shakes up the calm created in the film. These channels the effects of the violence on the story. Things are great for The Driver and Irene as they fall for each other but when her criminal husband returns, the violence follows. The Driver is averse to violence and tries to avoid getting involved (he doesn’t even carry a weapon on the job). Violence is the representation of destruction in the film that shakes whatever peace that our characters can possibly grasp.
Something deep down in The Driver’s nature pushes him to violence when confronted with it. He seems so calm and collected but when like that elevator scene, the violence bubbles up to the surface in an explosive way.
This is the moment where Irene begins to fear what The Driver truly represents.
The use of the story of “The Scorpion and the Frog” perfectly captures The Driver. He cannot help but be a scorpion as it is deep inside him. The violence is a part of him no matter how hard he tries to bury it. Refn is able to expertly layer this film with meaning and symbolism. I could write an entire article just on that elevator scene (the closing of the doors and the camera hanging on the scorpion).
With so Much Going on Above And Below the Surface, What Type of Film is Refn Able to Craft?
What is so interesting is the marketing for this film set up something quite different. Many thought this to be the next The Fast and the Furious…boy were they wrong. This is not hammy or “about family”. This is a serious and atmospheric thriller that packs in violence (not action). The film is a strange mix of romance and crime-thriller. The quiet attraction between The Driver and Irene is poignant and subtle. There is no over-the-top dialogue or cheesy moments, there is just the power of two actors feeling it and conveying it physically. There are deeper themes and metaphors working throughout making this a deeper and resonant cinematic experience. This is a crime-thriller in its plainest sense. The Driver works for a stuntman who sets up gigs but really works for a mobster who is in league with another. There are layers to the criminal work going on and how it all connects. The mystery is intriguing and engrossing as the layers are pulled back to reveal a serious web of crime and violence.
What Might be the Most Underappreciated Aspect of the Film?
This incredible cast. Gosling is a bona fide movie star and talented actor. This film helped start one of his “subgenres” of acting…the stoic and intense loaner. He delivers this same type of performance in Only God Forgives and Blade Runner 2049. This performance is full of intensity and subtlety. Gosling conveys so much with a stare or a smirk or a shaking body from bubbling rage. Mulligan is great in another subtle performance. She doesn’t have to show too much to convey attraction, fear, and desire. Gosling and Mulligan were a perfect pair for this mostly silent pairing. Oscar Isaac appears for a smaller yet affecting role as Irene’s husband, Standard. Isaac shows why he is such a great actor with his charisma, presence, and vulnerability. Isaac and Gosling have a great glaring and verbal cockfight that is just a joy to watch. They say SO much with so little.
But What About Some of Our More Veteran Presences in the Film?
There is a trio of veteran actors who really shine in Drive, and one should have seriously garnered Oscar’s attention. Bryan Cranston is a great father figure and screw-up in the film. He has a manic energy and charm that gets him far enough but not far enough to get out of trouble. His tragic past links him to some bad people who he, unfortunately, brings into The Driver’s life. Cranston is fun and sad all at the same time. Then you have the biggest ham in the cast…Ron Perlman. Nino is a Jewish mobster with the world’s largest chip on his shoulder. He is dangerous and unstable with Perlman’s fire injecting a sense of power and authority into him. But you still have a vulnerability that Perlman instils in the character as well. Then there is Albert Brooks. Yes…that Albert Brooks. Marlin from Finding Nemo and a career comedic actor. But not in Drive. In Drive…he is one of the most intimidating gangsters in film. Brooks is so genuine and charming yet absolutely frightening at the same time. His character has a code and some level of honour even though he will straight-up murder someone on a dime.
10 years later, why am I writing an article about Drive movie?
This is one of the best films of 2011 and one of the most impactful arthouse flicks of recent memory.
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Refn broke onto the scene with this incredible crime thriller and made a lasting impact. Even if his work has not lived up to the same heights, nothing can take Drive away. Gosling became a badass figure in many films since then. “Nightcall” is still played by cinephiles all this time. Drive movie posters litter the walls of plenty of cinephiles around the world. That is why I felt the need to spread the word…this film deserves it.
