A Powerful Character Piece with Great Cast

Rating: 9/10 (16 March 2012)

DRIVE is another one of those low-key movies that didn't really get a lot of attention over the course of its release, and most people I mention it to haven't heard of it. The one person I've found so far that has even seen the movie couldn't stand it. The movie suffers from a narrow-minded audience that believe it to be another mindless car chase/action film, and DRIVE is the exact opposite of such a movie. It's a slow-boiling, tense drama that relies more on mood than bullets. With an awesome 80's vibe, the movie may not be the best from 2011 but it's high on my personal list of favorites from the year. Ryan Gosling is the unnamed driver in the film; he works in an auto repair shop and does the occasional stunt for Hollywood, but his night life involves working as a wheelman-for-hire to the local criminal scene. He becomes involved with his beautiful neighbor Irene and her son Benicio for a time, and the situation becomes complicated when Benicio's father Standard returns from serving a prison sentence. Standard is in a bind, and he owe's people protection money from his time inside. He's pressured to pull one final robbery of a pawnshop, and the driver agrees to help him in hopes of keeping Standard's family safe. The robbery goes wrong, the driver is set up, and now he's got local mob boss Bernie Rose and his Italian gangster-wannabe brother Nino to contend with if he wants save Irene and Benicio.
I remember reading a bit of press when DRIVE was in its limited release when a woman was attempt to sue the producers of this movie. She was upset because she thought a movie called DRIVE was going to be the mindless action fun of the FAST & FURIOUS series. She was wrong, obviously. And she was an idiot. I urge anyone to at least know what a movie is before you pay to watch it, especially with the current exorbitant cost of a theater ticket. DRIVE never promised to be an action film; so if that's the sort of movie you're in the market for, keep searching because this movie will probably only bore you. It is incredibly slow-paced in the first half of the movie as it establishes the characters and creates the relationship between the driver and Irene. It is very much a character-driven movie. The car action in the movie, what little there is, does not compare to your average car chase film. In fact, when we are first introduced to the driver, we see him in action as a wheelman for an after-hours warehouse robbery. His escape involves almost no flair, no high speeds, no police cars ramping off parked cars and exploding. The driver is meticulous, keeping a low profile and hiding in shadows, avoiding conflict with the police at all costs. The driver in this film isn't your average over-confident, rubber-burning, catchphrase-spouting hero. He's an introvert, incredibly quiet, and incredibly talented behind the wheel.
The movie may crawl for the first half, but the second half can be brutal. When the conflict with Bernie and Nino escalates and the driver is drawn in against his will, violence erupts and comes off as incredibly shocking after we've been so gently eased into the story for the first 45 minutes. It makes the little bit of violence that does occur in the movie hit harder when you aren't expecting it. There is a gritty realism here and I really dig it. The cast is superb. Major points go to Ryan Gosling, who is perfect as the driver. He's got a subdued, charming quality but it isn't hard to believe what he can be capable of when he's cornered. I loved Albert Brooks in this movie as Bernie Rose. I've come to a point where I hate the idea of the stereotypical hardcore, mafiaso-style gangster; they're everywhere in these sorts of movies and so many people play the character the same way. But Brooks doesn't. He's got more of a subtle evil to him, and (despite the fact that it's Albert Brooks) you have no probably believing that this is a guy you don't want to cross. Ron Perlman, on the other hand, sort of got on my nerves. He was a little too over-the-top as Nino. But, still, between Gosling, Brooks, and some great performances from Bryan Cranston and Carey Mulligan, this movie is filled with strong people that are giving this character piece everything they've got and it works well.