Drive

UK Release Date. 23 September 2011
Certification. 18
Running Time. 1 hour 40 mins
Director. Nicolas Winding Refn
Cast. Albert Brooks, Bryan Cranston, Ryan Gosling, Christina Hendricks, Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Ron Perlman.
Rating. 80%

Review.

In one of the most gripping opening sequences I've seen in a long while, Drive manages to grab the audience's attention from the off. With minimal exposition, the film establishes that the main protagonist is an anonymous getaway driver (Ryan Gosling). The opening sequence and ensuing car chase is less high-octane pursuit and more a cerebral, cat-and-mouse game between the driver and the pursuing police. Devoid of dialogue, save for the police scanner and an L.A. Clippers game on the radio. However, the Clippers game is far from background noise, as the ingenious climax sees the driver hide in plain sight at the Staples Center parking garage just as the fourth quarter comes to a close. This sequence is a masterclass in cutting, in which the precision of the editing matches that of the driving.

The director, Nicolas Winding Refn produces a genre-transcending film - a stylish, ultra-violent, urban neo-noir. Although the Danish auteur already had several feature films under his belt, Drive was Refn's commercial breakthrough, grossing more than $75 million globally. The film also received widespread critical acclaim including a Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011.

Newton Thomas Sigel's cinematography pops with starry, neon, after-dark cityscapes and the film is punctuated with a retro, synth-heavy soundtrack, featuring current acts Kavinsky, Electric Youth and Chromatics. Both the cinematography and the soundtrack often convey emotion more powerfully than the film's dialogue. 

In a busy year for Ryan Gosling - Crazy, Stupid, Love. and The Ides Of March were also released in 2011 - his performance in Drive must surely be the most impressive. Gosling pushes the strong, silent type to the limit. With a quiet calm and laconic demeanour, he channels the glacial imperturbable attitude of Steve McQueen. The driver doesn't say much, but every word he speaks is worth listening to.

The supporting cast is equally impressive. Both Bryan Cranston and Ron Perlman elevate minor roles, and whilst Carey Mulligan might not have a lot to do as the neighbour across the hallway, Irene, she matches Gosling's quiet tone by wisely underplaying the role. She is likeable, attractive, yet obviously damaged in more ways than one. But above all, Mulligan is convincingly vulnerable.

For some, Drive may stall with an uneven tone and pace - at times playing out like a B-movie and at other times more akin to a contemporary action film. However, Drive is so much more than your run-of-the-mill car chase film. If the Fast & Furious franchise represented where mainstream Hollywood studios were heading at the time, then Drive was a throwback shaped by neo-noir classics like Bullitt, The French Connection and The Driver. 

As the film descends into a chaotic, bloody nightmare comparisons with William Friedkin's To Live And Die In L.A. and David Lynch's Mulholland Drive are almost inevitable.