April 27, 2012
When I got home after a long drive from the cinema, I wasn't entirely sure why 'Drive' was getting the praise it was getting. Coincidentally, I had travelled up to North London to pick up a new car. As my local area's cinema coverage is poor, the only place I could catch 'Drive' ... read morewas in London. The plan was to pick up the car, find my way onto the M25 and see an afternoon screening in Romford, Essex. Unfortunately, this proved to be a minefield of stress, Romford was packed full of people and cars, I was sure that I'd miss the screening, but I'd got far enough into Romford for me to persevere. I got there just in time, but it was these conditions that led me to make one of the biggest misjudgements in my film watching history...
I was attracted to the style of 'Drive', but more, perhaps macabrely, to the supposed violence of it. The film is spattered with torrents of claret, stark shankings and devastating gunshot wounds; there's also a spot of stomping. The film dishes out violence as it is, ugly and nasty.
The film started strongly, Gosling was convincing and intimidating, and he remains that way throughout the film, but surely playing the strong silent type is easy money? 'Strong silent type' is something of an understatement, the man is utterly devoid of conversational skills, only when he is working or amidst the drama of the latter half of the film does he fire up. Gosling is reminiscent of Clint Eastwood's iconic anti-hero roles; but I also made a connection with Dustin Hoffman's performance in 'Rain Main'. It's this extremity that perhaps makes his relationship with Irene (Carey Mulligan) slightly implausible (some of their interactions are stupidly painful). Despite this, I think the Driver's growing intensity and his dexterity in violence is gripping; Gosling really nailed it. There is one thing I find utterly unacceptable however, the fact that Gosling chews on a toothpick, please spare us from such unrealistic clichés; Mulligan's character would've laughed in his posey face in reality!
After my first viewing I was really quite ambivalent about 'Drive'. "The film wasn't bad" I thought, "I'm glad that I saw it". I liked the exciting and somewhat smart and fresh car chase in the introduction; I liked the mood of the film. For the most part, I felt it was the prior knowledge of the film's uncompromising nature that created the sombre, moody atmosphere. It was also the fitting, bass heavy electronic soundtrack that complimented the night sequences. But I left the cinema feeling somewhat hollow; I was preoccupied with how I was going to navigate the M25 and the Dartford Crossing.
Despite the film having lack of depth and a meagre ending; its unforgiving nature made the film stay under my skin. It made me think that perhaps a second viewing would change my opinion, but on first viewing I couldn't agree with its surprisingly positive reviews, and certainly not with the current 'tomato meter' of 93%. I was surprised at how the film was actually being complimented for being vacuous, "How has it managed that?" I thought.
After coming to the conclusion that perhaps a second viewing was necessary, I did just that a few months later, and I preferred it, quite a lot in fact. I suppose I knew what to expect, so I made the most of it, lapping up its style and visceral edge. How on earth did the film possibly make a white padded jacket with a yellow scorpion on the back cool? Oh and the driving gloves, they just reek of cool, oh and that black roaring Ford Mustang... I am so impressionable. It got my heart pumping like few other films had accomplished; I really couldn't believe how the film had grown on me.
I vehemently disagree with the supposed 'subtexts' some people have mentioned. I have read condescending statements on how viewers should 'look closer' to 'understand' the film; pompous nonsense from pseudo-intellectuals.
Ultimately, though, like so many films, especially those that fall into the revenge/retribution format (think Death Wish/Taxi Driver), they're good until the last stanza, they're hard to wrap up. But I even preferred the ending on second viewing, it leaves unanswered questions; out of the ways they could've ended it, this was probably the most appropriate choice. Drive is an engrossing, genuinely nail-biting film. Though it is a trifle superficial, it's guaranteed to thrill you.
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