There Will Be Blood ( and Cars )

Rating: Null/10 (17 September 2011)

This film is recommended.
Drive is not what it appears to be. If you are going to this action film expecting to see muscle cars, chases, fast women, speed, and plenty of crashes, you're half right. If you're in need of an absorbing crime film with startling violence, capers gone awry, and high octane suspense, you're also correct. If, however, you savor blood, guts, and splattered brain matter in excess, have we got a movie for you! Drive may be the first bi-polar schizophrenic action thriller for the unsuspecting moviegoer in search of fast and furious flicks.
￼Having two jobs these days seems rather commonplace for most people. With the dismal state of the economy, the outlook for most Americans is bleak. Driver ( Ryan Gosling ) is one of those average Joes holding dual duties. His day job is professional stuntman / part-time mechanic, his nighttime work is getaway driver for different crime heists. He's a man-for- hire who knows his way around fast cars and dangerous situations, a man with no name and a man of not many words either. ( Dialogue is minimal in this film. ) He has no real goal in life. He coasts from day to day, stuck in neutral.
But one eventful day he does find his sense of direction, a purpose to his lonely but highly profitable life. On that day, he meets the neighbor down the hall, Irene ( the lovely and underused Carey Mulligan ) and her son Benico ( Kaden Leos ) whose lives become entangled with him once her husband Standard (Oscar Issac ) returns home from prison.
Drive is all flash and impressively glibness. The film is an efficient exercise in style and verve with L.A.'s neon colored streets serving as the backdrop for this deliberately slow paced film (at least for the first half hour, that is ). Then it kick-starts into a rousing, exciting, but ultimately superficial crime drama.
The cast is made of colorful and malignant characters, thugs, and assorted lowlifes. All of the actors deliver strong support to the film. Bryan Cranston ( Shannon ) plays our antihero's so- called agent in crime. He gets him his gigs and takes a percentage of the action. Ron Perlman ( Nino ) is typecast as another goon. Comedian Albert Brooks, playing against type, is the sadistic kingpin Bernie Rose, who has a few scenes of shocking brutality that are memorably performed.
Gosling's screen persona has a edgy Steve McQueen ain't-I-cool hipness that seems true to the film's macho one-dimensional character. But depth and nuance are sacrificed for action, as it should be, and usually is, in this type of genre. It's the set pieces that matter most and they need to be choreographed and energized to maximum effect. They are the money shots and Drive has plenty to offer, especially in its action-packed car chase proceeding a job gone wrong. The film's dance club mix and synthesized music score by the talented Cliff Martinez ( currently also on view in last week's film, Contagion ) help to rev up the tension, along with the trendy photography by Newton Thomas Sigel and kinetic editing by Mat Newman. All work in overdrive.
Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, a name of which I was not familiar although he has directed over five films, expertly helms this escapist fare. ( He recently won the Best Director Prize at Cannes for this film. ) With so many sub-par offerings in this tiresome action genre where many films instantly become parodies on themselves, it is encouraging that this film is as fresh and original in its approach to its ordinary and rather simplistic and silly storyline.
Rehn's film is stylish and arty and he flaunts the hip retro 80's coolness whenever possible. Unfortunately, he also seems to revere the School of Quentin with its escalating violence quota and double digit body count. Disappointingly, the film seems to change gears midway, from a stunt-filled action film to a bloodbath of cold-blooded mayhem. The pure shock value of the unnecessary and gratuitous violence undermine the film's tone and rhythm, getting in the way of truly reveling in the film's visceral pleasures. While the element of surprise and the clever plot twists are essential to the plot structure, this well-made film loses some of its joy and buoyancy once the blood-lust begins.
With all its slickness, adrenaline rush, and pumped-up testosterone, Drive remains a souped- up but first-rate entertainment. Although the film's gory violence may be off-putting to some moviegoers, its action and complex stunt work are in ample abundance on the screen. ( During the many savage and relentlessly barbaric scenes, there were audible gasps from the movie audience, mostly from me. )
Even with all its pin-striping and flashy exterior, Drive still remains an empty vehicle. It may not be much of a joy ride, but the film has enough cheap thrills and dynamic energy, thanks to a visionary if excessive director, the strong commanding performances by Gosling and Brooks, and its stunning production values. It's worth a trip around the block at least. Just remember to buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride. GRADE: B
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