Stuck in second gear

Rating: 5/10 (26 February 2012)

I am always suspicious of movies with nameless characters. It seems an unnecessary contrivance. Unfortunately, "Drive" proves no exception, by adding this annoying detail to a slightly schizophrenic plot. Our anonymous hero, played by Gosling, is a stuntman by day and a driver of heist cars by night. Complications ensue when he falls for his neighbor Irene, a young mother with a criminal husband.
Our driving hero is moved by love into protecting Irene and her child, so he gets involved into a spiral of violence. At this stage "Drive" could have taken a turn as a romantic movie or taken the pulp fiction route. Unfortunately, it does not develop fully in either direction.
The romancing angle is played subtly and delicately. After having watched a couple of Gosling's movies and disliked him intensely, I actually liked him for the first time. He plays remarkably well the star-crossed lover.
The violent part is an unbelievable mess. Turns out that there is only one criminal organization in all L.A. and all our characters are mixed up with it. The gentle driver turns into a bloodthirsty creature and physical elimination of all members of the cast ensues â€“ needless to say, in the most graphic manner. Of the seven main characters (+child) only two make it to the end of the movie. Not difficult to guess who; however, do not expect a "happy ending".
Besides the above mentioned "split-personality", "Drive" suffers from other problems:
1. Our driving hero is a bland cypher, a mildly likable guy, not a super-cool hero of Steve McQueen proportions. His long silences and mysterious aura are just annoying
2. The plot moves at snail's pace. Although I am not a fan of fast editing and deafening soundtracks, here we are at the opposite end of the spectrum. Long silences, pauses and minimal dialogs sold for "intensity"
3. The soundtrack is abominable. A mood-destroying collection of easily forgettable, third-rate songs. I sorely missed the witty dialogs and the brilliant score of Tarantino's movies
4. Finally, "Drive" takes itself very, very seriously, so forget fun.
Sometimes when I watch a movie like this I wonder if it is the same one so many critics are raving about. How many movies titled "Drive" starring Ryan Goslings are currently out there? Because for sure, the one I watched does not seem to deserve much praise. Not bad, but a masterpiece it ain't.