I try very hard to make my reviews spoiler free. There are actually some critics that give too much away in their reviews, resulting in my complete avoidance of their writings. While I have tried not to be that way, I'm going to be somewhat spoiler-ish with my discussion of the film Drive. What this means for you is that if you have not seen the film, you should stop reading now. I'm going to try to not give away specific plot points, but I am going to talk about the film as a whole, which could give away some aspects of it. I have specifically written an entire paragraph, so that nothing that could seriously influence you is accidentally seen. That also means you shouldn't say anything spoiler-ific in the comments, either. At this point, I suggest you go rent and watch Drive. You can get it in the Redbox for a $1.50 plus tax. If you don't care about undue influence, feel free to keep reading.
Alright, at this point, I should only have two or three people still here, as Drive wasn't exactly a blockbuster film. Rick, if you are reading this, stop unless you have seen the film. I know you don't like to be influenced too much. For the rest of you, let's get into Drive.
Drive is a film that follows a man who drives for a living. In the begining of the film, we see him act as a wheelman for a couple of men. Later, we see him drive for a film. Eventually, we see him drive to help someone. All in all, that doesn't sound like much of a film, but it comes together to be so much more.
You see, when the film gets going, we are treated to the opening credits, as is the way with your average film. These credits are in a neon pink font courtesy of the 1987 film Mannequin. With what I knew about the film, that font in that color was bothering me. It didn't fit at all. Throughout the film, I spent a good bit of time trying to make sense of that silly font. As such, I have a theory. Drive is an amalgamation of classic 80s film ideas. It's like somebody cannibalized parts from all the 80s movies and made the best Frankenstein ever!
You start off with the pink font, which I'm sure Tara can identify. After that, you are treated to scenes of an awkward romance, evocative of a John Hughes film. The film perfectly captures the sweet yet awkward silences between these people, subconciously putting them in traditional 80s roles. You expect the driver to a kind, yet unusual man with a set of flexible morals who wouldn't hurt anyone. Because the film is evoking these thoughts, it comes as a surprise when the main character gets his rage on.
The movie suddenly changes from an awkward romance to a revenge flick. 80s violence is alive and well in Drive. As a bonus, there is even a scene with boobs. Why? Because that is what the 80s would do. When you get near the end of the film and we are suddenly treated to a masked killer, you have a multitude of classic 80s film tropes. From montages and fade ins, Drive pays homage to the 80s without most people realizing it. They've taken great ideas and classic ideas from 80s film and created a modern film. It's like when they are assigned a classic dish on Top Chef but have to modernize it. They've taken out all the cheese.
Aside from all the possible 80s parts, Drive is just an excellent film. There are strong performances from all involved, especially Albert Brooks. There is not a bad performance in the bunch. The screenplay is strong, putting as much of an emphasis on silence as on dialogue. Silence is a key part of Gosling's character, but it never does him a disservice. The music is also very fitting, carrying on with the 80s feel, but it works. At first, I worried it would not come together, but the film makes all the pieces fit.
In conclusion, Drive is an excellent film. The more I think about it and discuss it with Mark, the more interesting facets of the film we notice. I didn't even touch on the symbolish of the jacket the Driver wears, but let's just say there isn't really a lot of positive imagery related to scorpions. Let me know what you think. If you have seen the film, did you sense the 80s, or am I crazy? Have at it!
(Moved from FB - February 3, 2012)
We finally got around to watching Drive tonight. Yes, the 80s movie stuff was rampant in this, from his awful coat to the garrish font to the music. My take is that this is what Quentin Tarentino would have made if he had been born 10 years later. It's basically 80s (instead of 70s with him) style turned on its head to give it a modern take, a lot like what Reservoir Dogs was for 70s movies.
ReplyDeleteGosling took the anti-hero one step farther in this. He was a bigger psycho than any of the villains, just really off-putting in addition to being extraordinarily violent. Definitely different. It was suspenseful, entertaining, and made me think. Can't ask for much more.