Here’s what I knew walking into Drive. Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Ron Perlman, Nicholas Winding Refn directed, little dialogue, heist driver. That’s it. That’s all I figured I needed, because that’s all the previews and interviews presented (yes, I even watched interviews with the cast and crew). It sounded interesting, at least moderately entertaining, and hey – Ryan Gosling. Having now seen the film, I wish I had known more about it before I sat down.
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The entire film was beautifully shot. The cinematography was stunning; Refn’s use of light and shadow was breathtaking and a joy to watch. But the entire film just felt….off.
The movie featured exceedingly little dialogue, especially from the two characters with the most screen time – the Driver and Irene (Gosling and Mulligan, respectively). Though there were a few scenes that felt too long, the overall acting by these two was phenomenal. Both were able to emote through subtle shifts in their posture and faces everything that needed to be verbalized but wasn’t. Props to them, and to Refn for capturing their talent and chemistry on film.
Because of the lack of dialogue, music became a prominent feature. However, the majority of the film was quite quiet. Background noise was prevalent, and the occasional incidental music to add depth to the scenes fit perfectly, but when full-blown, artist-singing-to-loud-backing-tracks pieces came on, it was overbearing. The songs fit, sure, but they seemed painfully loud to be played over such a silent film.
Actually, a lot of sounds seemed too loud. I’m not sure if it was because the effects were purposely exaggerated in post, or if the quiet of the rest of the movie led to their amplification naturally. Gun shots, boot stomps, and hammer sounds all seemed to ring in my ears as I watched, and made me jump – not necessarily because they were unexpected, but because they were jarring to my eardrums.
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Gosling’s character makes his job clear from the very beginning of the film. He drives, simple as that. “If I drive for you, you give me a time and a place. I give you a five-minute window, anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours no matter what. I don't sit in while you're running it down; I don't carry a gun... I drive.” It’s assumed that is all you need to know about him, and it is…for about 45 minutes. Suddenly, he’s seen shooting, stomping, drowning, stabbing anyone who gets in his way. For someone who is ambivalent to violence and claims to have no involvement in any plans other than driving, he changes his tune pretty damn quickly.
His sudden change lacks a cathartic moment. We see him bond with Irene (Mulligan) and her son, Benicio, and then agree to help Irene’s husband with a heist, but his reasons for doing so seem unrealistic, considering the amount of trouble it causes him. Did he do it because he loved Irene? He’s only known her for 2 weeks, if that. Did he do it because he cared about Benicio, the little boy he bonded with while the boy’s father was in prison? Maybe, but again, their relationship has only been 2 weeks long, and we have no back-story whatsoever to explain why a man as unattached as the Driver would suddenly attach himself to this broken family. I know that the lack of background makes the Driver mysterious, but it seemed like the tiniest bit of detail about him would have made the entire premise much more believable.
The Driver goes from ambivalent and nonviolent to an enforcer armed with whatever weapon he can get his hands on. The unexpected shift in attitude went entirely unexplained, and it made no sense. This man had made a point, several times, to say that he would do nothing but drive. Yes, he was fighting for his life, and seemingly for the life of a young woman and her son, but his entire characterization seemed to change in the blink of an eye – again, with no cathartic moment on screen to warn viewers it was coming. He doesn’t seem entirely comfortable in this role either; his posture and gestures hint that he doesn’t understand or fully embody this new persona.
Violence doesn’t normally affect me. Maybe it’s because I did not expect this level of violence when I walked into the theater, but it all seemed way too over the top and grotesque. It was obvious that Blanche (Christina Hendricks) was going to die. Did I really need to see her skull explode? And showing a man’s head being stomped to a pulp seemed unnecessary. The intention was clear without showing the explicit details.
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I’d like to just throw in a shout-out to Bryan Cranston and Ron Perlman. Both are brilliant in everything they do, and this was no exception. I love to hate Mr. Perlman, and it’s a joy to do so. His character had some pretty stupid moments – the biggest being running directly into the ocean as he was being stalked by the Driver – but it was fun to watch. Bryan Cranston’s character was the closest the film had to a heart, a father figure to the Driver with a shady past, unsavory acquaintances, and a heartbreaking demise.
Finally, and this is a small thing but it really confused me from the outset, the font used in the opening credits was a hot pink script. I felt like I was sitting down to watch an 80s Hughes flick. That could be why the film’s violence threw me as much as it did. From the very beginning, I realized that I had no idea what to expect from the film, and it kept me intrigued – albeit unnerved – the entire time.
Did I love it? Will I rush back to the theater to see it again tomorrow? No. There were times that it seemed a little too long, a bit too disjointed, and jarring to my senses. But it was a hell of a ride. And it made me think, to want to analyze how sense could be made of the characters' actions and how all of the seemingly incohesive parts could be melded to make an experience I still can’t adequately describe. It's a film worth viewing, even if you leave as thrown as I was.
1:35am 1.10.11
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