Drive

“Action At $4 A Gallon”

“Drive” is an intelligent, smartly conceived action film that takes off going zero-to-60 in the first frame. Ryan Gosling plays a character only known as “the driver”. His day-job is being a stunt driver for Hollywood movie productions. In his off hours, he moonlights as a getaway-car driver for bank heists and pawn shop robberies.

It sounds like the formula for a fantastic action picture, and it is. But when “the driver” meets Irene, a beautiful neighbor in his Los Angeles apartment building who is being a single mom while her husband is in jail, “Drive” becomes a beautiful love story. Irene is played by british actress Carey Mulligan with a spot-on American accent. When her husband returns from jail owing money to some nasty people, “the driver” gets involved in a scheme to save him and therefore protect Irene and her young son. His motivation is driven by his love for Irene.


The course of events brings “the driver” into contact with some truly bad guys. There’s Nino the Jewish italian restaurant owner brilliantly played by Ron Perlman, and the supreme bad-ass villain Bernie Rose surprisingly well-played by comedian Albert Brooks. A supporting actor Oscar nomination for Brooks in this role would make it like this year’s Christoph Waltz-winning performance.

In a city the size of Los Angeles, the coincidence of all these characters inter-connecting is improbable, but “Drive” moves along at a solid pace, rarely allowing us to catch our breath and ponder the implausible.

Credit for this must be given to Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. He brings a unique stylish approach to this material that will surely put “Drive” on the fast-track to cult film A-list status.

But despite it being a love story at heart, fasten your seat belts for a violent ride. There is graphic violence in this movie the likes of which I have never seen before. But the violence is crucial to the story and doesn’t feel gratuitous or exploitative.

DVD Double Feature:

With “Drive” we may have found the next generation’s Martin Scorsese in Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. His film shares many parallels with Scorsese’s classic “Taxi Driver”. Like the Gosling character, Travis Bickle (played by Robert DeNiro) is a loner, drives for a living, and comes into contact with bad guys from which he feels compelled to save a 13-year old girl (played by Jodie Foster). Oh, and both films contain supporting performances by Albert Brooks!