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Drive Review

Spoiler Free Review
    Drive (2011) is a crime film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. The film stars Ryan Gosling as the unnamed protagonist only known as “The Driver” or “The Kid”, a part time mechanic, a part time stunt driver, and part time getaway drive. The Driver briefly gets romantically involved with a married woman named Irene (Carey Mulligan) and decides to help her recently released ex-con husband Standard Gabriel (Oscar Isaac) to pay off the debts he incurred while he was incarcerated. This leads to them teaming up with Blanche (Christina Hendricks) to rob a pawn shop. The heist goes wrong in every way imaginable and results in two vicious gangsters, Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks) and Nino (Ron Perlman) coming after The Driver, who with the help of his mentor Shannon (Bryan Cranston) tries to find a way to save himself.
    The ensemble cast in Drive is superb. Albert Brooks, who is mainly known for his comedic roles does a great job of playing a foul mouthed and ruthless gangster. Ron Perlman does a great job as Nino, a Jewish gangster that wants to be an Italian mobster. Bryan Cranston performance is great as well as he looks like a guy that’s been working as a mechanic for decades. Carey Mulligan’s part as Irene is also great because she is able to convey her growing feelings for The Driver with little dialogue exchanged between the two. The subtle glances that they share is all the audience needs to know about their relationship. Her realization as to what kind of person The Driver is, is truly heartbreaking. Mulligan’s performance is truly understated in this film and it may take another viewing to truly appreciate it. This brings me to Ryan Gosling. Gosling’s dialogue in this film is minimal, the fact he is able to deliver a great performance despite this shows just what a talented actor he is. Despite his youthful appearance, Gosling is also able to come off as a brutal criminal.
    Another one of the film’s highlights is the city of Los Angeles. The film’s dark portrayal of L.A.’s underbelly of crime and violence makes the city seem like it’s another character in the film. 
    The action and car chase sequences are also a sight to behold. The violence in this film is downright graphic. Director Nicolas Winding Refn doesn’t hold back what being stabbed, shot in the face with a shotgun, and having your head stomped in looks like. The chase sequences are also huge factor in why Drive is such a great film. Despite how the film was marketed Drive’s car chase scenes are not the main focus. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t great. In my humble opinion the 1970s were the golden age of car chases in cinema. Part of the reason is that car chase scenes in films like Bullitt (1968) and The French Connection (1971) looked real. The car chase scenes in those films had very little dialogue, which comes off as more realistic. If you’re trying to get away or catch somebody you wouldn’t be doing a lot of talking. Drive takes a page from this playbook as The Driver says virtually nothing during the film’s car chases. These films gave you the impression of what kind of danger the drivers of these cars were in and what kind of danger they were putting others in. The whole thing could basically fall apart at any moment. The car chases in today’s films look too choreographed, it’s almost like the cars are dancing with each other rather than trying to get audience into believing that they are chasing one another. Drive pays tribute to the car chase films of the seventies by dispensing with all needless flashiness. The Driver in the film looks like he is an expert driver but still looks like he could make a mistake at any moment.
    Driver’s soundtrack may actually be the film’s best asset. The music in this film is filled with eighties inspired synthpop songs that were made in the 2000s. The music changes with the mood of the film. Whenever, The Driver is happy a happy song plays. Whenever, there is a car chase or action sequence, the music is faster and more intense. Driver wouldn’t be nearly as good and as successful without it’s soundtrack. The music itself is another character in the film.
     Driver is a movie that is truly worthy of being mentioned along with Heat (1995) and To Live and Die in L.A. as one of the best crime films set in The City of Angels. Drive’s status will continue to grow with time as every red blooded American man loves, a good car chase movie.

Overall Rating:  ****1/2
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