Drive (2011) Review: Scorpion Jacket, Leather Gloves & a lot of Retro Music

Rating: 6/10 (25 January 2012)

If you're planning to watch this film I'd recommend going into this film not judging it based on the trailer because it absolutely does not represent the film in its real light. Here's the short synopsis as listed on IMDb, "A Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheel man discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong." The film has a pretty impressive cast: Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine, read my review here) as the "Driver", Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) as his boss, Shannon and Carey Mulligan (An Education) as his neighbour/love interest, Irene. Also starring in the film, is Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy), Albert Brooks (The Muse), the beautiful Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) and Oscar Isaac (I'm a new fan after watching him in Ten Year at TIFF last month).
The acting was superb in the film. Ryan Gosling delivers yet another strong performance, playing the lead role as the quiet and calculated skilled driver. Carey Mulligan is almost perfect for these serious, melancholy, strong yet fragile roles (I'd highly recommend watching her in An Education for those who haven't seen it yet). The two of them worked very well together even though with so much screen time, there wasn't too much dialogue between the two but you still felt the on screen chemistry. The few scenes with Ron Perlman were a treat (especially since I'm a big fan of Sons of Anarchy), Oscar Isaac did a great job with the handful of moments he was on screen, loved the scene where he gave the second chance speech and it's always great to see Christina Hendricks, she made a very memorable exit. Overall, great acting from all the main stars in this film.
The opening scene was very well shot, with the Driver explaining his 5 minute rule to the clients and demonstrating his very calm, calculated and cool skills. The whole sequence was very intense and very enjoyable. And we get a good sense of how serious he is about his rule when he turns into the underground parking lot and so non-nonchalantly walks out of the car, flips his jacket inside out and puts on his hat—freaking smooth. I almost feel bad for his two clients who are sitting in there asking themselves "where the hell did he go?" holding to two giant black bags and just waiting to get caught. BUT than the opening credits begin and we get our very first (of many) very, very retro techno-rock tracks and it was my turn to ask "where the fu*k is the director going with this?"
Why did the film only get a 6 out of 10?...Continue reading the full review here: http://goo.gl/h49PY or http://www.thetvsamurai.com/search/label/Movie%20Reviews