Get In, Get Out, Get Away. . .

Rating: Null/10 (12 September 2011)

Not since 2 Days in the Valley has a film captivated the skylines of L.A. with so much glitter. With a film named Drive one would expect a lot of driving, and driving is what we get. When we first meet "Driver" – yes folks, our lead does not have a name – played by Ryan Gosling, we are mesmerized by his behind-the-wheel skills. We are caught in the passenger's seat as he makes his run. We watch firsthand as he picks up his would-be criminals and takes them on their heist. We wait patiently as he sits. We watch as he is chased down the streets of Los Angeles. And finally we take notice as he makes a smooth escape among a crowd of baseball fans. Yes folks, our main character can drive and does it without ever getting his hands dirty, or at least that's the idea? Fast forward to forty minutes in and now we have our dilemma.
Our "Driver" is calm and collective, and I mean that. He is poised, certain and knows the ways of the business. It's L.A., it's fast times and it's quick money; however, this wouldn't be a movie if there wasn't any conflict. When Driver first sees Irene, played by the lovely Carey Mulligan, they stare into oblivion as we, the viewers, wonder what these two are thinking. It's your typical boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, girl's ex-con of a husband gets released from jail type of love story. However, what lies beneath the surface of this boy is more diabolical than what we first are lead to believe.
For you see, our Driver is psychotic and a bit of a cynic, but the cracks are slowly revealed as the story progresses.
What type of person can this character trust? Enter Shannon, played by Bryan Cranston, who is currently gaining an edge on AMC's Breaking Bad. He is a colleague and probably the closest thing our Driver can call a friend. He is the only one who knows about his double life. Our driver is a stunt driver by trade and a "get-away driver" by night.
Drive has a few twists and turns; so, not to give too much away, I'll get back to the dilemma. Enter Standard, the husband of the girl in this would-be love story. When he is released from prison, his past comes a knocking. Now our Driver makes a decision. Not only is he in love with Irene, but it seems that he has bonded with her son. After the kid's father has gotten his ass kicked by a couple of goons, Driver is the first one to find him. He immediately tries to comfort the kid, who was there at the time of the ass-kicking, and realizes a threat has been made. Shortly thereafter, our Driver decides to get involved. It seems that Standard owes some people some money and has to make it right.
Driver decides to meet with the guy in charge and tells him how he wants things done "If I do this for you I don't carry a gun, I drive." He agrees to a one-last-heist type of deal and, as can be expected, things start going haywire after this.
What was supposed to be a quick in and out ends up becoming a names game, and the name at the end of this list of misfits is really what concerns our main characters. Also worth mentioning are both Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks, who hasn't made a movie since "The In-Laws" if you don't count his voice work. I was a bit taken aback by Albert Brook's performance as well. This is a darker role from what I'm used to seeing him in.
Overall, Drive has a little bit of everything. A dark comedy, an edgy type of film, but I will admit it's not for everyone. The plot does however offer plenty to keep you guessing if you like this sort of stuff. Some people may not like it for its violence because it is bloody when it needs to be. Now, I'm not familiar with the director's work, but his cinematic style reminded me of a lot of the films from the 80's. Ironically, the decade is briefly mentioned. I also have to talk about the soundtrack for a second talk about experimenting, there were some interesting choices for quite a few scenes? You just have to watch it and experience it for yourself. As for his choice in casting, Ryan Gosling as this dark character with no past is nicely done. Kind'a reminded me of the time when Nolan went with Ledger for the Joker role. I highly recommend Drive if you're into films that are borderline disturbing and somewhat hypnotic.