The Rise of Refn and Gosling

Rating: 9/10 (19 January 2012)

"Drive" is a story about a young man with no name who works as a stuntman during the day and works as a getaway driver, at times, during the night. A man with no attachments to his past, he wandered through his days unnoticed with a determination to stay so. All of this changes when he meets Irene creating a shift in his priorities leading to situations and circumstances he would never before involve himself in. We know nothing about his past and the motives of his present are as mysterious. The perfect "Anti-Hero", he hits a strange balance of being a combination of a Western Hero (personified by Gary Cooper, Clint Eastwood) with a darkness close to that of Henry Fonda's "Frank" in "Once Upon a Time in the West" and Javier Bardem's Anton Chigurh in "No Country For Old Men".
Nicholas Winding Refn directs this picture and it really shows how far he has come as a film-maker. His use of colours are brilliant as he shifts through darkness and light with an artistic manipulation that contributed to the great cinematography which was essential to create the varying moods. It was predominantly eerie and helped the transitions smoothly leaving a touch of suspense all the way through it's end. The screenplay, written by Hossein Amini, is sufficient in it's brevity adding to the enigma, which was the Driver, enhancing the mystery to his motives by sufficiently cloaking who he is.
The star of the show, except Refn, was Ryan Gosling who continues to build a reputation as one of the actors to look out for. His evolution, which was slowly in the works, hit a new height with his portrayal as "Driver". To be so convincing with such few words and relying only on expressions and mannerisms to be the basis of a great performance is an art which is almost lost today. He is loving, caring, generous and loyal to only a few people but at the same time he is also ruthless, fearless and unflinching in his determination, which sometimes led to "justified cruelty" on those who stood in his way. He is never over-the-top, however out of hand a situation might get, thus building a character who had enviable serenity in testing situations. Ryan Gosling will in all likelihood not be nominated for an Oscar for his best performance to date for what was undoubtedly one of the best performances of 2011 (personally this was my favourite). This, I fear, would be the first of many crimes the Academy will undoubtedly pull on this film in the year.
Gosling is supported more than capably by a great cast. It includes the rising star Carey Mulligan, the love interest, played her torn character with such simplicity and an under-tone of complexity that bringing out a sense of realism would have been very arduous. But, the talent she has, has helped her to find the balance and give one of the most under-rated performances (along with Gosling's) of the year. There is also the brilliant Bryan Cranston whose evolution is just extraordinary. This character actor tests another variation to provide a great supporting role of a man who with his desperation has lost all his dignity clinging on to the last straw of hope which is Gosling. Cranston played the anti-thesis of Walter White (Breaking Bad), with such guile that you forgot it was Mr. White. For a TV actor that is hard to shake off, ask James Gandolfini. Ron Perlman's screen time was small but his significance to the plot was not and he did justice to the role re-enacting his own persona of the "bad guy" he has done so successfully and predominantly in action films.Then, there is the rejuvenated Albert Brooks who gives the performance of his career (and seems the only likely nominee) as mob boss Bernie Ross, who is more like the anti-hero than we would like to admit. A man who is calculating in his ruthlessness and terribly frightening in it's deliverance is the perfect nemesis to the grey hero. They both fight for what they care about and none of them would hesitate to stand up against anyone who would try to destroy what was most important to them.
"Drive" is a must-see for all who want to something different in a year which has been all about recycling and few rare pieces of originality. If you can stomach the violence and the long periods without dialogue then make sure you watch it, otherwise just stay away, it won't be your cup of tea. Let's hope Nick Refn will be able to keep this form for the future