Drive (2011)

With his crime drama 'Drive' Nicolas Winding Refn ("Pusher", "Bronson") created the surprising underdog of the year. This slow paced, existential, violent 80s-style B-Movie appeared on several critic's Top-10-lists and even topped some of them. It is a movie with a very distinct look and a good feel for the moment that shows that sometimes less can be more. The minimalistic story is carried by the director's decision to let the film breathe freely and of course by a restrained, cold and very effective performance by its star.

The driver, who is never called by name, is played by Ryan Gosling in an intoxicating manner. He is a silent person for most of the time always with a cold expression on his face and showing hardly any emotion. In the daytime he is working in a car repair shop and as a stunt driver for the movies. At night he is the getaway driver for criminals. His rules are strict and simple. In his own words:
   
    "There's a hundred-thousand streets in this city. You don't need to know the route. You give me a   time and a place, I give you a five minute window. Anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours. No matter what. Anything happens a minute either side of that and you're on your own. [I don't sit in while you're running it down. I don't carry a gun. I drive.]"

The movie opens with a phone call like this followed by a brillant chase sequence between the driver, two unknown mobsters and the police. It is thrilling to see the driver drive. He is the best at it and he knows it.
Confidently he leads the car through the city. It is not a scene (and a movie) like you see it in most of today's action flicks. There are no fast cuts, no incoherent spectacle that is hard to keep up with. Instead the visual style accomodates to the driver's cognition; thoughtful and calm, always aware of what is happening.
This is what the movie does best. It may also be the reason why Refn won for "Best Director" at Cannes, unexpected, if you ask me, but not undeserved.

The driver is always on the run, never staying in a place for too long always. The streets is where he lives, the car his true home. He just moved into a new flat. One day he meets the woman Irene (Carey Mulligan) living next door. There is a genuine attraction between the two.

They come closer after she shows up at his repair shop. It's like Irene and her son fill in the empty spot in the driver's life. But when Irene's husband returns from prison things eventually get rough and she and the driver unwillingly get in conflict with some rude gangsters, their boss played by an evil, ferocious Albert Brooks.

For those of you who expect this to be an action-packed thrill ride, forget about it.

Like its quiet (anti) hero, the film is rather calm and carefully staged and gives its characters enough time and freedom to really establish themselves. The whole first half of the picture is almost exclusively showing the beautifully subtle little romance in an otherwise bleak and straight forward film.

Apart from the sublime achievement of its director, it is Ryan Gosling's stunning screen presence that are essential for the picture especially considering that Gosling is hardly doing anything.
For some time in the movie you might think you know the driver but you may be mistaken.
There is a dark side to the driver's nature. A side of his personality that he can't strip off.

He is like one of those old western legends. A lonesome gunslinger from nowhere. Noone knows him, but everyone fears him and as quickly as he appeared he is gone again, leaving behind no traces, and is never seen again.

I really enjoyed the film for it's clear style and attitude. It plays fair and stays true to its priciples.
I loved the cinematography particularly those extended shots that perfectly capture the atmosphere and ring out nicely and are sporadically interrupted by bursts of pretty intense violent scenes later on.

But is it like with the calm before the storm?
No, it's not. As much as I admired lots of this film the story and especially the last 15 minutes or so did not really satisfy. I know it is supposed to be a really down to the bone kind of story but there is a point quite a bit before the end when this movie is exhausted. The set up is so nicely done but then at one point it felt like it's over and there is nowhere else to go.

From that moment it is just "routine". You know what is then obligatory to happen and the final minutes are just there to finish it off without any grace or commitment. I liked the film a lot so far but I kind of dropped out at that particular point and did not care for what was happening afterwards anymore. When the credits were rolling I felt very weird. I knew that I liked a big part of the film and I know I wanted to love the whole thing but somehow I am torn between admiration on one and indifference on the other side.
In the end after having read so many reviews that praised the film as (one of) the best of the year, I have to admit that I am kind of disappointed. As much as I wanted it to do so, "Drive" did not replace "The Artist" as the best film I have seen this year. But I have to say that I thought a lot about it and think I am gonna revisit it as soon as I can.

I think the first time you watch a film the focus is to considerable extent on the plot. Especially with films that are not about plot it may be more likely to really deliver a second time around unless of course it is a truly great film that manages to do so right away. But for now I have to say "Drive" is not one of those great films. Although it has excellent bits in it, it seems like it will not stay with me for long.