REVIEW: Drive (2011)
Drive
Rated: R
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Albert Brooks
My rating: 4.5 stars
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Do you know the story of the scorpion and the frog?
The question is posed by the Driver (Ryan Gosling), of whom we are not given a name, near the conclusion of “Drive.” He's referencing the fable where a scorpion asks a frog to carry him over a river. The frog is afraid of being stung. The scorpion says if he stings the frog, the frog would sink and they'd both drown.
The Driver wears a white silk driving jacket with a yellow scorpion stitched on his back. His day job is as a stunt driver for the movies in Los Angeles. By night, he serves as a getaway driver for armed robbers. We know nothing of his past, yet we know he's seen and done unthinkable deeds.
We meet him explaining the rules: (1) You give me a time and a place and I give you a five-minute window. (2) Anything that happens in that five minutes and I'm yours, no matter what. Then, he drives.
That's the set up and first scene in “Drive.” Of course, it isn't that simple, nor is it a movie filled with sensational chase scenes. There are only two.
The rest is a deliberate, methodical descent into the very dark world of a Los Angeles mob that has ensnared the Driver after he tried to help an ex-convict pull off one last heist to relieve a debt.
The ex-con, Standard (Oscar Isaac), is the husband of the Driver's love interest, Irene (Carey Mulligan), and has been harassed by mob men since his release. They've also threatened the family, which the Driver feels he must protect.
The Driver evokes memories of classic action heroes as he coolly swings a toothpick between the corners of his mouth, expressionless as he executes his craft. He doesn't speak much, yet we assume his capabilities.
But this does not play out like a typical action movie. There are no fantastic explosions with body parts strewn about and there are but a few elaborately orchestrated chases. Director Nicolas Winding Refn doesn't want the audience to leave with a cheap thrill, he wants one to leave stunned and awed. The violence is graphic and feels real in those brief and shocking scenes. "Drive" doesn't rely on violence, either, to keep the audience. Refn brilliantly executed building tension. More is felt in a glance between characters than in their words.
We feel that through the subtle, yet haunting performances. Albert Brooks plays a Bernie, a wealthy businessman who dabbles in crime and whose business partner, Nino (Ron Perlman), simply looks like bad news. Bryan Cranston perfectly plays Shannon, a small-time mechanic who serves as the Driver's boss. Bernie describes Shannon as "unlucky." He is really a pawn.
And of course Gosling as our hero. He says with a look what cannot be put into words. He's hardened by a lifetime in whatever he considers his business. But we're still drawn to him and his mysterious past.
These people are despicable in each of their unique ways, trying to play the game against each other for money and power. The Driver, though, is the most ruthless and we love him for it.
Refn has produced the best kind of action film – one that's about executing the process to get the desired result. The payoffs work because the journey there is so grueling. Don't corner a scorpion.
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