Film Diary 2011: Drive (From The Argus)

Film Diary 2011: Drive

12:24pm Friday 7th October 2011 in Blogs By Owain Paciuszko - Seat 13

This sleek, slow-burn thriller from Nicolas Winding Refn is steeped in eighties retro cool, and, if it weren't for the occasional mobile phone, it could undoubtedly be set in that, or almost any era where personal modes of transportation were readily available! It could, for all intents and purposes, be a dusty Western supplanting its cars for stagecoaches.

Ultimately what that means is that the film uses a very stock - almost ridiculously B-picture - narrative, written out as a synopsis the film sounds pretty bland: A part-time stuntman moonlights as a getaway driver, he finds himself embroiled with the West Coast mob when he falls for the girl next door and her ex-con husband returns to town. But this film is little concerned with its narrative, instead, like a Michael Mann film (this one bares strong resemblence to his 1981 film Thief) it's equally about character and style, both of which are handled in a somewhat detached and deceptively glossy fashion. Where Refn excels is by juxtaposing the taut, controlled pace of the film and its inhabitants with outbursts of extreme, shocking violence.

The pulpy material benefits no end by having such a stellar ensemble cast. Ryan Gosling uses his amiable personality well, twisting our preconceptions of him to his advantage, initially playing someone who could be construed as a silent, shy but good-natured type - despite the fact that he does assist in robberies, but he 'only' drives. So, when things take a turn for the worse he is able to really surprise the audience and create a character - much like Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver - who is pretty psychotic but ultimately, within the context of the film, our hero.

Elsewhere Carey Mulligan balances a mix of strength and vulnerability quite well as Irene, though she has very little to do. Bryan Cranston has a grizzly charm as wounded mechanic Shannon, whilst Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman are superb as mobsters Bernie Rose and Nino. There's also a pleasingly uncliched performance by Oscar Issac as Irene's ex-con husband Standard, his emotional fragility standing out in a film that is often tightly wound and carefully orchestrated.

The film isn't great, it relies on its style a bit too much, and whilst everyone across the board is doing good work, there are moments where the film teeters a little awkwardly on being a parody of itself. That's not to say the film is without intentional humour, but there are moments where the tough-guy attitude or long drawn out pauses felt a bit silly. However, it's a strong thriller with an interesting 'hero' and bags of style.

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