I've now seen DRIVE, the latest movie from Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, twice, and both times I loved it equally for different reasons. The first time was back in July, and I got into the film's retro, Michael Mann-ish qualities--colors and light that popped off the screen, the almost pornographic way that Refn lets the camera glide over the curves of the vintage cars that populate the movie, and the sleazy electronic score and songs (usually with a female singer) that is draped across every scene. I fell in love with the vibe of the film before the plot even kicked in.
And then there are the performances, which is what held me captive the second time I saw it. I thought it was amusing that star Ryan Gosling's character, Driver (no names are necessary) has no dialogue for the first 20 minutes of the movie outside of a short opening-scene monologue in which he describes how he operates during the heist for which he is the getaway driver. This is clearly a speech he has given many times before, and he recites it with the passion of a robot...or a sociopath. The opening heist is brilliantly staged as Driver avoids the police and manages to essentially hide in plain sight.
Before long, the plot reveals that Driver is, in fact, a professional stunt driver for films, explaining his fearlessness behind the wheel. But we get a sense that he longs to be a race car driver, a goal which he and his partner Shannon (Bryan Cranston) are working toward with the help of a former film producer and current gentleman mobster Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks, playing it straight and scary, but still garnering a few laughs) and his thuggish partner Nino (Ron Perlman), who likes to swear a lot, but is a classic bully and consummate fuck up. Shannon convinces Rose to invest in a stock car for Driver to race in and hopefully make a lot of money for both, but Shannon is historically unlucky and we never get to see a single race because life has a way of fucking everything up for everybody.
On a more personal note, Driver gets to know Irene, a woman who lives down the hall from his modest apartment with her son. The boy's father (Oscar Isaac) is in jail and one the verge of release. Once he's out, he needs to pull a fast job to pay back some tough customers, and somehow he manages to get Driver involved in what should be a quick and easy heist (with a third party played by Christina Hendricks). But in Driver's world, very little goes as it should.
During both viewings of DRIVE, I couldn't get enough of watching Gosling play this stoic, coiled cobra of a man, who seems ready to either hit the gas or lash out in unspeakable acts of cruel violence, depending on the situation. He wears an almost ridiculous white satin jacket with a scorpion design stitched across the back. On anybody else, the jacket would look very silly; on this guy, it's the ultimate badass wardrobe, especially when he starts to get blood on it. People should not mistake talking for acting, and if you are someone who does that, then Gosling's performance will make you crazy. He says everything he needs to say with his eyes and his actions. The only time he smiles and seems to engage in anything resembling small talk is when he's with Irene and her son; they clearly bring out the best in him, which is why they are in constant danger.
The real discovery here is not Gosling (who continues to hold the title as the best actor of his generation), but Brooks, whose Bernie Rose is just as capable of unexpected bloodshed, but you can tell he hates having to resort to wielding one of his vintage straight razors. His role as executioner includes compassion. After almost unnoticeably slitting the wrists of one victim, he simply holds the person's hands and says, "It's already done. You won't feel a thing, just let it happen," or words to that effect. It's soothing and shocking all at once. If Brooks doesn't get an Oscar nomination, I'll be shocked.
Mulligan can't help but be good in everything she does, but she provides just the right combination of alluring and sweet as Irene. Just as much as Driver does, we want to protect and slightly worship her. And Refn doesn't even try to hide his adoration of her either, as he lights her like a goddess. I've been an unapologetic fan of Refn's since his Danish PUSHER trilogy, through FEAR X, BRONSON, and his surreal Viking saga VALHALLA RISING Perhaps more than any non-horror director working today, Refn has a true gift for shooting extreme violence, knowing when to hold back and when to let the rivers of blood explode. With DRIVE, he reveals that he also knows how to shoot a great car chase, but this is not an action film, so don't come crying to me about the lack of high-speed chases sequences.
DRIVE is a character-driven drama punctuated with some shocking moments of violence. It's also a fantastic showcase for L.A. atmosphere, showing overviews of the city that are stunning and locations we don't often get to see on screen. DRIVE manages to be both an art-house film and B-movie that brings out the best of both arenas. It doesn't fit easily into an genre, so stop trying to. It's an apparition of a movie that still manages to pound its points home. This one is going to shake you up a bit, and you're going to be a better person because of it. DRIVE is the kind of film that makes me love my job, love movies, and love getting up every day hoping I'll see another movie as good.
