Miles Ahead Of Anything This Year

Rating: 10/10 (2 October 2011)

The man with no name is a term used mainly as protagonists in westerns, most notably being Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone's 'Dollar Trilogy'. We are introduced to The Driver who holds no name and no emotionally attachments, he is there to drive and driving he is. By day his job entails as a Hollywood movie stunt driver and by night switches to that of a getaway driver. He shows no contrast been the two, he drives. Nothing more and nothing less.
'Nicolas Winding Refn' recently directed 'Valhalla Rising' and this film feels like a modern companion piece. It features little dialog and focuses on character emotions physically to express their feelings. He has a fantastic sense of directing characters into showing emotion through their body movements. 'Ryan Gosling' sits in behind the wheel as the Driver who is represented as the modernized man with no name. Little is spoken of Gosling as he calmly soaks up the screen with little emotion. A toothpick lies between his lips in which if set within a western setting could be replaced by straw. You imagine he was just placed here with no background, no childhood and no family but merely to drive. A connection is developed early on with his next-door neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son, Benicio (Kaden Leos) in which without expressing himself with words we see through long stares, subtle smiles and the occasional touch he has grown close too. But as a sour heist threatens him and more importantly Irene and Benicio his character opens up and shows through extreme acts of violence and his skills as a driver he will endanger his own life to save theirs.
We are never given any background detail on Gosling but we see through long focused shots on his calm exterior that a dark past lies behind those pale eyes. 'Newton Thomas Sigel' did a fantastic job with his cinematography his beautifully crafted shots depict of very little happening physically but on an emotional level the characters are shown to be considerably deep and complex. Goslings character reminded me of 'Josh Brolins' portrayal of Llewelyn Moss in 'No Country For Old Men' in which he says very little but he has one clear goal and we are shown it and taken on the path that he follows. However the Driver manages to make us feel sympathetic towards him mainly through the way director has crafted his film. The camera is very rarely detached from Gosling and in that sense, neither are you, his decisions are very clear and because of the amount of screen time we are given of our Driver the way his expression changes, no matter how subtle is clear for us to represent so we can be attached and relate to his motives.
At it's heart 'Drive' is an art house picture, it looks and sounds beautiful, a thumping 80's soundtrack plays through the background with it's electronic beats and vibes representing much to the state of a mechanical nature of a vehicle. A particular scene is when Gosling expresses his emotions through driving as he takes Irene and Benicio on an off road experience as the uplifting, 80's tune 'A Real Hero' by 'College' serenades within the background. Though the way the film is shown it's art house style lies within some director choices, imagery which could very well become iconic is shown and each shot is blessed with given care and subtle details like mirrors placed strategically in the background to show other characters out of shots. During driving sequences we are made to feel as a passenger of the car and part of the experience as POV perspectives are shown twisting around the interior and out of windows while various car components are glazed over. It's given a slick, sexy feel and inanimate objects are made to be humanized.
'Drive' portrays the dark side in characters and what they will do to protect what they care for and want but even throughout this, Gosling's character remains relatively calm even through intense moments. At times the film hits exploitation film levels as scenes of extreme violence are shown and the film builds up to these moments to deliver them in the shocking and painful vision that they are intended to be. It's much similar to how 'David Cronenberg' uses violence within his films, giving a realistic and emotional depth. 'The Fly' for example used gore to create strong sympathetic values towards 'Jeff Goldblums' character where as Drive uses it to show characters anger and pent up emotions that are built up to brink through slow, moody scenes until it can't be caged anymore.
This is not an action flick. There are no CGI set pieces, there is no mindless violence, it's quiet and moody but at the same time it's not an easy watch. Sigel has a created a dark, complex film showing basic human emotions through deep body language and motives. Gosling's uses every part of himself and the vehicles in which he inhabits to cause you to feel sympathetic and engaged towards his character. It's a film that takes multiple viewings and each viewer will have their own interpretation as to what has been perceived. 'Drive' is an example of powerful directing, brilliant acting and most importantly an engaging story line bringing an experience that is miles ahead of anything else this year.