Drive

Simplicity

Drive is about a guy that is good at driving, and all the shit that being a driver can get one into. The movie starts with the driver, Gosling, laying out his rules for some dudes needing his skills. His rules are as simple as he is. "You've got five minutes. A minute longer and I am gone." We learn first that he drives the get-away car and later that he drives for movies. The two occupations are never at odds - he just drives. Jean Luc Godard movies were known for simplicity. A guy, a girl, a sketchy goal, and a gun. This was enough. Nicolas Refn has a few cult movies that Gosling liked enough for Gosling to handpick Refn to direct and re-write 'Drive'. Refn is all about that throw-back. He wants the audience to react. Here, he puts out a movie about a guy, a girl, a sketchy goal, and a gun. I appreciated it.

Characters

Ryan Gosling is possibly in that top category. From the gut wrencher, Blue Valentine to Lars and the Real Girl, and from Remember the Titans to Ides of March, and now Drive, I mean, I'm convinced. Cary Mulligan plays his neighbor whose husband is in prison and whose son the driver seems emotional about. Refn allows Gosling and Mulligan the space to sit in a scene. I think it takes some decent acting to hold a scene through long moments without dialogue. They pull it off. Ron Pearlman left the set of Sons of Anarchy to play the same role he always plays. He's obnoxious, smiles when you need a villain smile and dies when you need him to die. The long scenes and slow motion Pearlman smiles wouldn't be enough without some far-out tunes.

Soundtrack

Some tunes that make it happen, complete with titles that dominate:

Nightcall - Kavinsky and Lovefoxx,

Under Your Spell - Desire,

A Real Hero - College,

Bride of Deluxe,

Kick Your Teeth,

After the Chase,

They Broke His Pelvis,

Skull Crushing,

Hammer,

Oh My Love - Riz Ortolanie feat. Katyna Raneiri

Coolness - Eastwood - Samurai

I was raised on Clint Eastwood and Steve McQueen movies. I believe without doubt that the best movies are ones that feature a dude that believes in something and doesn't talk much. You just know that he believes in it. Le Samourai and Bullit and Josey Wales are three of my favorites for this reason. I'll put this movie in that category.

Time to think for yourself

This movies gives you time to think for yourself. Which is cool, cause it doesn't take much thinking to get this movie. You just kind of 'sit in' the movie. In another way, you get a bunch of time to wait for something cool to happen. Which is good, cause something cool happens a lot and it is not full of CGI or other stupid stuff. It's just a freaking cool movie. I think minimalist is a way to describe it.

Take-away

Afterwards, I feel that Refn used Gosling as 'the driver' to make a point that other cool movies (Eastwood and Godard movies) have made before. It is about, in movies, "Knowing what you know and knowing what you want, but being cool about it."