Gosling Drive Movie Analysis

Emily G. Morgan ENG 1010: Sec. 006
Writing Project 2: Movie Review (Draft) Expository Writing
Monday, September 30th, 2013 MWF 9:10-10:05a
Jarret L. Green Peck Hall 315

Gosling Drives to the Top in this Fairytale Thriller

Drive, based on the novel by James Sallis, is a new and refreshing take on an action-thriller that will leave you emotionally attached and, instead of just witnessing a film, you find it easy to care about the story. The unnamed hero, played by Ryan Gosling, is elegantly violent but all in good cause. Instead of the countless number of films we've seen with cheesy computer generated images and dim-witted acting followed by heavy profanity and gruesome violence, we're given
a film with its own beating pulse that will grasp you as a rare occurrence. The entire cast seems to have a mysterious quality that we can never truly pinpoint, leaving us with more questions than answers. The vintage electro-pop music coexisted perfectly with the plot that made the viewer see from the driver's point of view which created a dream-like feature in which I fell madly in love with. The Cinematography was stylish and functional that blended well to give this modern day story a hint of 80's culture with a certain chic gloominess that left me forgetting all this came from a camera lens. The style is one all its own, out-of the-box and unconventional. Drive is 'neo-noir' that shows us a the dark side of Los Angeles constructed with the density of the plot to keep our attention. Overall, this film brings back the light to the craft of film making. Straying from heavy CGI and tragic fantasies, the rawness shows us passionate sincerity that today's films seem to lack. Our no-named protagonist, we'll call him “the Driver”, starts off the film with a mild, yet interesting car chase.
We learn that he is a getaway driver and goes by a strict policy: “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. Anything happens a minute either side of that and you're on your own.” Making it look easy, we learn his Steve McQueen coolness is represented in his driving by outsmarting the chasers and easily exploiting the L.A. concrete jungle. By day, he is a stunt driver for Cranston's character and seems to be just as calm and collected as his night job. In the beginning he seems to have few emotions, which seemed annoying, but that feeling quickly fled. We learn that his emotions may be concealed, but have no lack of depth. This is evident when the Driver meets romantic interest, Irene, and shows us a smile and his ever present toothpick seems to twitch, giving away a glimmer of light in his soul. The talented and mysterious characters, who have their own personal vendettas and goals, seem to represent classic Hollywood and the idea that a movie breathes not just through the hero, but the hero's shadows. Irene is a mirror for vulnerability and her son, Benecio, seems to capture the Driver's affection which attracts our attention to the construction of the relationship. However, when Irene's husband, Standard, returns from prison the sincere feelings are quickly hidden but
do not vanish due to the Driver's offer to help Standard fulfill a heist that will promise the safety and security of Irene and Benecio. We see the Driver's loyalty and passionate feelings, as he undergoes heavy risk with little benefit to himself. The colorful cast brings life to the movie that shows aesthetic value that cannot be replaced. Gosling is charismatic, Mulligan is quietly powerful, and Cranston is warm heartedly sincere. Thus, all these actors tie strong emotions to us that leave us hanging on to every word and giving us haunting images even days after we've watched it. The cinematography has a fixed perspective with little to no camera movement and diverse camera angles that convey heavy emotions and evoke thought processing to the viewer.
Refn, the director, wanted to emulate the character's feeling to the viewers, so he used low angles and minimal views for a dramatic effect to focus on the acting instead of the driving. In the silent elevator scene, the viewer is shown two personality types of the Driver: sensitive and viciously protective. This moment is defining, it shows us how the Driver can easily go from doting to psychopath and how far he will go to protect loved
ones. From the opening scene you immediately are seduced by the abstract electronic music that holds your attention onto the Driver. The music is responsible for giving Drive that fairy tale feel that is prevalent in the climax when the Driver transforms into a real human being and a real hero. The music also goes along almost perfectly with the every scene, it's not just thrown in but gives the film life and elegance that shows the intrinsic value of a perfectly compiled soundtrack. While watching you feel as if you're in some sort of a dream and the music is just comes naturally, this to me, is a major reason why Drive is so good. You forget where you are, instead you feel as if you are there in an outer body experience, watching from up above as the music carelessly matches the plot of the film. Without the superb soundtrack, the film would lack the heart beat it needs to survive. Drive's style is one all its' own. You predict a blockbuster film with lots of action packed driving and plenty of chase scenes, but it's more complex. Drive has themes of loyalty, love, and loneliness. It's tough, but tender hearted and shows glimpses of superhero side when the Driver kills the villains to protect his muse. Los Angeles stands as the background while the characters take lead in this dream-like story that creates a feeling of majestic, modern melancholy that keeps the viewer hungry to get inside the Driver's mind. The film has just enough action scenes, but puts more effort into the complexity of the plot. We get a everything we want to see: action, cars, romance, a hero, and a plot that has more meaning than one would think by just looking at the cover. Every element in the film is in sync: the filming, the music, the creativity, the abstraction. It's all there. Without giving everything away, we are left to use our imagination and infer what will happen next or what the actor is thinking, thus giving the film an intense but modest tone that keeps you wondering. The film teaches you about human behavior in terms of love, which is tenderly raw, that leaves you with a presence of heartache. The represented the love and connection between Irene and the Driver, without that you wouldn't have been able to see the connection they share and how far he went to protect her. Drive is unconventional and edgy, it gave me a nice break from the same old boring and artificial films so popular in today's world. Drive goes against the norms of traditional action movies by filling the movie with depth and emotion rather than drawn out violence and sex scenes. Where action movies leave you temporarily satisfied and thoughtless, Drive makes you think about life, the ones we love, how far we would go for them, and the truth about sorrow and pain.