Drive Review

*Poster for the Motion Picture "Drive"*

I've avoided reviewing this film for quite some time now. Mainly because I felt it more relivant to review Ryan Goslings most recent film released to DVD, "A Place Beyond the Pines", and also in small part due to not wanting to capitalize on his current popularity. Truth be told, I am on the Gosling bus, he is a bit of a god right now in cinema, but mainly because he represents more of what makes movies good than bad; something I feel even he has picked up on recently. Also, I've been trying to avoid doing any of my reviews in the first person, however, this would be a more dishonest and less intimate/appropriate review if I chose to take a neutral stance on it...in short: Drive is not a movie that you can't have a personal opinion on, which is part of the reason it is so amazing. This film will polarize viewers on so many levels, either for Gosling alone or for it's choice to be so shamelessly art-house, something that hasn't seen Goslings more recent film with Winding-Refn: "Only God Forgives" fair as well.

*WARNING: There will most likely be spoilers ahead.*

Drive is for all intents and purposes a movie that glorifies every nuance of being an indie film, and it knows it's audience. It relishes in being retro-savvy and sports perhaps one of the best minimalist soundtracks to an overtly minimalist film that any self proclaimed art connoisseur can appreciate with little effort. It strikes a gritty balance between high-brow and low-brow favoring cinematography and hyper violence all at once; splicing shades of blood and gore throughout it's all too short length.  At times this may seem to derail the film, but it adds to the unsettling nature of it's presentation. It is a slick package, almost asking one to forget the film they are watching is for just about every reason: a film about a hero. Few men would take the chance on their love interests main squeeze being recently released from the pen not ending their life for almost starting an affair with her, yet alone befriending this nameless driver to help cure all debts, all in the name of doing the right thing for someone who you can't explain your unrivaled attraction towards. The film even acknowledges the extreme of this; something that shouldn't even be an extreme. We live in a society where if you try and take someones girl, or fall in love with her, you are the enemy, there are no qualms about that, but Drive decides that two men can unite against the tides to do what needs to be done, regardless how grim the cost. By the end of the ordeal, the only justification is death, and our main character, nameless as ever, in some way, whether intended or not, worked out a short in the wires, leveling the field and introducing the tone of the film.

There isn't really much to talk about in terms of plot for Drive, boy meets girl, boy wants to help girl, boy gets mixed up in a bunch of hoopla trying to help the girl, and so on. Don't watch Drive for the story, it really isn't the point. It's not a bad story by any measure, but the movie is meant to be felt, and although I'm not one for any radical style over substance type film that masks imperfections by bombarding the viewer with eye candy, Drive does everything so eloquently, it could've done just that and I would be a willing a victim of it's agenda. Thankfully, Drive is a film that chooses style as a preference merely for the sake of telling the thinly drawn out story more effectively rather than compensating for it's surely short on paper narrative.

Carry Mulligan who plays Gosling's lead's love interest is not without her merritt in this film, and although her character's background is nothing relatively unheard of, the relation she forges with our verbally reserved lead is worth more than just a passing glance. Their relationship is very reliant on physical queues and requires knowledge of social opinion and moral decency. The line they straddle constantly shines a light on the sexual innuendos in their eyes, however they remain blind to the notion as they commit to their own common decencies. This is all the more evident throughout the film as it begins to turn down the dark roads of no return, and we watch supporting cast members "Brian Cranston", "Albert Brooks" and "Ron Pearlmen" moonlight and keep the flavor alive on screen when our challenged protagonists take momentary leave. I can't help but write as if I'm keeping my fingers limber for some unnamed inspired screenplay, but a movie like Drive just brings out your inner poet, and despite some strong opinions against the film, I'm hard pressed to have any coarse words towards it...except for the following:

Drive can feel very forced if you don't know what to expect going into it, or if you're not a film buff (thanks in part to an aggressive anti-artsy DVD marketing period). The movie underwent some serious personality change when it came to getting people to see it in theater or on home video, through both trailers and home video release (something I have very strong feelings towards). I understand that there are expectations placed on sales, and that a films reviews when they are raved weigh heavy on how it's pushed towards the masses, however it has never rested easy with me how Drive was handled upon release for DVD. The box art looks very blatantly action movie fan oriented. This is something I saw with the marketing of Adventureland and one of it's trailers making it seem like another Superbad; a classic case of trying to grab an audience that doesn't exist because no one knows how to market such films to a larger audience, so they gravitate towards the largest common denominator. Case and point: Drive doesn't demand a large audience, and the fortune from it's fame will come through time rather than a three day box office tally or home video release. Much like how I've watched "In Bruges" (one of the greatest films of the last ten years) slowly reach cult status, my expectations of Drive are no different. The movie already has established an amazing impact among the underground for those who revel in it's mission statement, and everyone else who stands a chance of watching it in the future will no doubt discover it in due time. There is no reason to so blatantly exploit it's appeal by trying to lure in viewers who don't have an interest in it to begin with. 
But I digress.

Honestly, another reason I have avoided reviewing this movie is because the politics behind it's appeal overshadow the film itself, which by no means makes it a bad movie, it's just a much better film to experience than talk about. The first five minutes of the film, along with every water cooler moment will give you every indication needed regarding just how amazing the film will be, followed by what is perhaps one of the most unexpectedly memorable introduction sequences set to Kavisky's "Nightcall"; which in my opinion, sets the standard for how all opening credit roll/mood setting intro pieces should be portrayed in all films to follow. There is no doubt in  my mind that every other moment that will stick with you long after the film's end will revolve around the violence that it encapsulates it,  however, it resonates on a whole as an uncompromising experience that anything short of 'aww' should be considered an inappropriate response, if for any reason than because the standard for counter-culture and artsy-fartsy presentation in film has just widened the gap between majestic and malevolent in terms of tech-noir, neo-punk, retro-revival, whatever you want to call it. It's all irrelevant at the end of the day. I know people half my age that have found this movie twice as appealing as me, and it's not through ignorance  it's because it helps to represent where cinema needs to go more than anything else. It's not perfect, but it's not far from it, and my apologies for this not being more of a review as much as a praise session; I think we all have our movies we feel the need to help solider on, and I never want to see the art, music, heart, force, overwhelming style, and inspiration fade that has been provided by such a film as "Drive".

Check out the trailer for Drive below!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWX34ShfcsE

Review Score Card:
Storyline:            Thin, but unnecessary.
Characters:         More emotion than logic, playing up the hero angle... but triumphantly.
Pacing:               Minimaistic, slow, and thriving on atmosphere.
Interest Level:    Captiviating, a must watch for any film major or movie buff. No exceptions.

Overall:               9.5 out of 10  - It's a staple of everything our times are made of
                           right now in terms of indie flare, and Ryan Goslings finest hour outside
                           a comedy or romance. Watch for sheer inspiration, good or bad.