In case you don't know Drive is a movie about a nameless (I'll refer to him as "the driver".) professional movie stunt driver (Played by Ryan Gosling of "The Notebook" Fame) who moonlights as a getaway driver for people wanting to pull of a heist. A man by the name of Shannon (Bryan Cranston) provides him with both the movie jobs and the heist jobs. While doing this the main character begins to form a relationship with his neighbor (Played by Carey Mulligan.)
The main character of Drive drives? I'm sorry movie. You lost me.
Ryan Gosling does a surprisingly great job playing the tough Clint Eastwood like nameless character. He has quite the screen presence and gives off the impression that he is not someone to be messed with. I have to admit I was initially skeptical about how well he could pull off the roll. Bryan Cranston does a good job being somewhat of a mentor to the driver. Carey is fine as the love interest though she is pretty forgettable. Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman play the local mobsters Bernie and Nino. Albert is actually pretty intimidating and his character has a bit more dimension to him then you would expect. Ron plays Albert's Belligerent and pretty sleazy partner and he really makes you love to hate him.
The actually pretty original premise of this film is very well told and emotional. It also has quite a few major plot turns that keep the film involving and interesting. I honestly didn't see any of said turns coming which is a plus.
The action of this film is extremely bloody and brutal. Heads are blown off, skulls are stomped in and many other gruesome acts of violence occur. The audience cringed many times during the second half of this movie. The action is also kind of slow and it feels pretty realistic even though the extreme amount of blood and gore can be excessive at times. Also there is surprisingly little stunt driving in this movie. There are literally only two kind of short chase scenes during the entire one hundred minute run time. The chase scenes are extremely well shot through and thankfully completely lack any kind CGI so that they can maintain the gritty feel that the rest of the action of this film exudes so very strongly.
There are no pictures of him that don't make him look like a tool.
This film as a distinctly eighties feel to it. The colors of the film are bright and the music matches. It creates an interesting contrast to the brutal action. The film is very well directed by Nicolas Refn who helps give the film that eighties style. I do feel like the editing leaves a bit to be desired. The first act drags a bit after the opening scene. There are a few scenes in there that feel like they have little to no purpose. The film would have been better if they made it five or so minutes taken off. That may sound like nit picking, but the pace is very important to a film especially an action drama like this. You have to have a good balance or the film feels disjointed and this film really starts to feel that way towards the end of the first act.
Insert lame joke about picture here.
In the end this is a film with a good lead, some pretty good acting, some pretty brutal action and the story is very well executed (even though it drags a bit early on.) and you can't really ask for much more then that. I recommend that you see this movie while it is still in theaters.
Gremlins [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.304009-Gremlins-A-no-Nostalgia-review] Crank [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.304634-Crank-A-no-Nostalgia-Review] Crank:HIGH VOLTAGE [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.304934-Crank-2-HIGH-VOLTAGE-A-no-Nostalgia-Review#comment_form] Season of the Witch [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.306908-Season-of-the-Witch-A-no-Nostalgia-Review] ROBOCOP [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.308126-RoboCop-A-no-Nostalgia-Review#comment_form] ROBOCOP2 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/edit/326.308682.12454570] ROBOCOP3 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.310969-RoboCop-3-A-no-Nostalgia-Review#comment_form] Contagion [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.312388-Contagion-A-no-Nostalgia-Review#comment_form]
As an added bonus here is a song I listened to while writing this.