Breathtaking Minimalist Thrill Ride

Rating: 8/10 (24 September 2011)

With a pulse driven soundtrack pumping from the speakers of Ryan Gosling's GT, Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive is instantly a contemporary cult classic thrill ride written in blood stains and pink.
The color of Drive brings to mind a quote made by Cameron Diaz as the femme fatale in 'The Mask that she addresses towards Jim Carrey during one of their first meetings. It brings to our attention the polluted skies she admires so much for its' accumulation of purples, pinks and greens. In retrospect this quote can now be considered a foreshadowing of what would later become a tradition in twenty first century film.
Not only does Refn follow this foreshadowed tradition, but he sets a new bar for it by using this scope to create a new-wave, stylistic action thriller. Drive is a crash collision of vibrant colors inspired possibly by video games like Grand Theft Auto's Vice City, movies like Scarface, and maybe the minimalist script and shot decisions of Andrei Tarkovsky. For those that are unfamiliar with the last name, think of David Lynch or more recent films like 'Enter The Void,' 'Biutiful,' 'Blue Valentine,' or 'Tree Of Life.' The broad pov shot from Ryan Gosling's windshield creates something special. By the street lit product placement of names like rite aid, Ross, and Food 4 Less Refn's Drive puts me in an all too familiar place of oppression. However, seeing it from the perspective of Refn and Gosling illuminates and exposes it for all of its color and possibility. Refin knows how to capture optimism. Its one of those films that makes you proud to be a part of these fluorescent polluted times we are living in.
With direction this good, the characters do not need to say anything. Drive's main character has no name. Everyone surrounding him has a name. Some of these circumstantial misfits are titled that way by choice, or just plain circumstances and all of them want some type of favor from our hero. And our hero will do it, no matter how absurd, without any questioning of things like what is in it for the misfit asking this favor of our hero.
There are no hidden agendas behind anything that he says or does. Everything he does is done because it is the right thing to do. College's theme 'Real Hero' fits into this so well because it echoes exactly what this movie is all about and that is real people and real heroes. In this way Drive's main character is an example of a cinematic hero that can and should be followed.
Less is more in 'Drive.' Their actions in this post apocalypse are what speak volume for their characters. Move over Emilio Estevez and Robert Deniro because Gosling is this years 'Repo Man' and 'Taxi Driver.' And while Gosling is today's hero in film, Refn is our post-modern and apocalyptic philanthropist.