A mash up of thriller and 'artsy'/alternative movie genres; not sure if it quite succeeds at either

Rating: 6/10 (24 May 2013)

I can't really decide whether I liked or loathed this movie. I think a typical lover of thrillers will probably be disappointed as will a typical lover of 'artsy'/alternative films. 'Drive' really is a mash up of the two genres but it's hit or miss as to whether it succeeds at either. Ryan Gosling's acting certainly doesn't disappoint and, despite a weak and rather clichéd script, he portrays 'Driver' excellently (an introverted stunt car driver whose minimal verbal style is both unusual and at times rather awkward to watch). The pros of this movie boil down to its intelligent directing; well filmed and thoughtful scene settings and, of course, the understated acting by the main characters, Gosling and Carey Mulligan. The cons however, teetered on the brink of ruining it for me; the hackneyed script (in which the characters reel out the same old clichés that every other mobster says in every other bad mobster movie and the fact that one of them basically spells out the plot for the audience, despite its simplicity, just in case you didn't 'get it'). But, the worst crime of all though that Drive perpetrates is the ridiculous 'celebration' of 'blood and guts' in glorious Technicolour, carried out with a no-holds-barred in-your-face brutality ; gallons of the red stuff spurt at every opportunity, and bone-crunching nastiness has you questioning the Director's motives (was he really aiming for a display of 'pornographic violence'?). Yes, we all know 'mob movies' involve violence and it's not a pretty sight, but does it have to be flaunted, with such gross attention to detail? I don't think so. And this endlessly gratuitous violence is where 'Drive' nearly drove me away. There are many ways to covey brutality in a film, I just don't get why Daniel Monzón (the Director) chose to focus on the obvious ones and have his cameras honing in on all the nasty knifings, pouring blood, and bone crunching savagery. My other issue with 'Drive' (although minor compared with the blood and guts) is the soundtrack. Whoever chose it was obviously trying really hard to be 'different' but sadly missed the mark and all that warbling about 'heroes' and 'human beings' was frankly a bit embarrassing - not the most intelligent of choices. However, despite the flat script and gratuitous violence, 'Drive' is not an unintelligent movie and Driver is not a one-dimensional character. The driving scenes are phenomenal and yet not 'over done' or over extended; Driver's skills on the road are a great contrast with his introverted, self-effacing personality. Mulligan's character is also understated in a good way but occasionally verges on 'vacant'; she has little to say and her emotional responses are perhaps too muted.
Gosling is by far the star of this show and saves it from being a bad, run-of-the-mill mobster thriller. I would not necessarily recommend 'Drive' as a 'must see' film, but I would suggest it as worth viewing for its un-Hollywood portrayal of an ordinary man who gets caught up with the mob and reveals another side to his character that enables him to stand up against mindless bullies and extortionists. If you don't mind blood-spattered scenes and can overlook the underwhelming script, you just might get something out of 'Drive'. Maybe.