When it comes to movies, you cannot say no to a good old-fashioned car chase. Regardless of whether or not the overall film is good or bad, there's just something about a fast-paced, tension-fraught automobile chase that automatically sets the viewer's adrenaline levels into overdrive, their fingernails digging deeper into their seats with every swerve and killer 360 degree spin into a crowded highway. From Bullitt and The French Connection to Death Proof and The Fast and the Furious, car chases have proven to be an integral element of not only action films, but cinema in general (hell, even The Blues Brothers ranks among the best of the lot).
One such person synonymous with the car chase was the late, great actor Steve McQueen. Best known for his tough guy roles in high-octane action films like Bullitt, The Getaway, and The Great Escape, McQueen cultivated a reputation for embodying the stoic, post-Vietnam era anti-hero common in the cinema of the late '60s and early-to-mid '70s. No longer were heroes black-and-white boy scouts, but rather gritty, morally gray tortured souls with skeleton or two in their closets.
Today, such an archetype has been done to death in countless movies and television shows, never really gaining traction with audiences because the movies they inhabit lacked the cohesion and thematic complexity necessary to make the character memorable. While Dirty Harry was more about a man and his fierce, almost fascistic hatred of criminals, The Transporter was just a collection of cool car chases strung together.
Luckily, the audiences of today are now being treated to a veritable blast of action movies' past with director Nicolas Winding Refn's sleek, artistic, and terrifically-executed crime noir Drive, a picture worthy of the same acclaim afforded to the greats of the McQueen/Eastwood era.
The Driver (Ryan Gosling) is a man with a mysterious past and a less-than-conventional life. When he's not working for his boss and mentor Shannon (Bryan Cranston) at a Los Angeles auto shop or performing stunt work for Hollywood pictures, by night he's a getaway driver. Boasting an impressive reputation for his skills behind the wheel, the Driver is hired by crime boss Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks) to drive a race car that Bernie's invested in, at Shannon's insistence.
At the same time, the Driver's found himself smitten with his apartment neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan). Irene's been raising her son Benicio (Kaden Leos) while her husband Standard Gabriel (Oscar Isaac) has been serving time for robbery. Things get complicated when Standard returns from prison, especially after Standard is beaten and has his family threatened by gangster Cook (James Biberi) unless Standard pays him protection money.
Cook tells Standard that if Irene and Benicio are to be unharmed, Standard must rob a pawn shop and pay Cook the resultant money. The Driver reluctantly agrees to help Standard and accomplice Blanche (Christina Hendricks) with the job. However, when tragedy strikes, the Driver must not only watch his own back from the wrath of the mob, but also protect Irene and her son from repercussions, as well as keeping his eye on the likes of Rose and his temperamental partner Nino (Ron Perlman), who's none too pleased with the Driver's involvement with Rose.
Let's mention right off the bat that what makes Drive work is its style. Usually, I don't ascribe to the style-over-substance motif that most (if not all) action flicks utilize nowadays. I like my movies (though not exclusively) to have characters with three-dimensional personalities, and a multifaceted story that is written and executed competently. But it's different here. Mixing together a recipe chock full of '50s noir, '70s chase films, '80s crime drama, and '90s Tarantino-esque postmodernism, Drive is a serious exercise in trimming off the fat and presenting a lean, concise, and raw steak of an arthouse film.
It's definitely possible that many folks will walk into this film and expect a mindless two hours of car chases and brutal violence. And while the two are indeed present, it's nowhere near as much as they'll expect. For a film named Drive, the experience is surprisingly calm, minimalistic, and even introspective. It's more about observing the unflappable, soft-spoken Driver (a fabulous Ryan Gosling) and his day-to-day life as a modern day Man With No Name who struggles to do the right thing despite being deeply entrenched in the seedy hell of the Los Angeles underworld.
But such serenity helps make the sudden intrusion of brutal, shocking violence that much more effective and jarring. Gosling's Driver is almost a portrayal of two different characters: there's the tender, protective man who's attracted to the innocent woman next door (an underused Mulligan), and then there's the fierce, almost machine-like warrior who, when pushed, strikes with the intensity of a scorpion. A brief yet incredibly intense, emotional, and graphic fight scene in an elevator recalls an equally disturbing scene from Gaspar Noe's Irreversible, and it sticks with you for a long time after you leave the theater.
Aside from Gosling, the rest of the cast ranges from good to fantastic. Albert Brooks is terrific as the surprisingly cold and brutal mobster backed into a corner by the actions of his hotheaded partner in crime, portrayed by the great, great, great Ron Perlman (who once again proves that any role he touches turns into acting gold). Bryan Cranston (of the superlative TV series "Breaking Bad") does what he can with his small supporting role as the Driver's boss, as does Oscar Isaac as the recently released criminal forced into recidivism. Christina Hendricks (the famously bosomy star of TV's "Mad Men") has even less to do than her co-stars, and is easily forgotten by film's end.
It's also commendable how Danish director Refn easily managed to craft such a taut, tense, and stylish film for his American debut. Melding American action with European-style arthouse panache, Refn has created a dark, unfriendly portrait of Americana not unlike de Palma's Scarface, and evokes the same 1980s sensibilities, atmosphere and ambiance that was so prevalent in that classic Pacino crime flick.
Speaking of which, the film's score and soundtrack are pure 80's gold. Cliff Martinez' synth-electronic score is purely evocative of those classic drugs-and-bullets pictures reminiscent of "Miami Vice" and Scarface, and the results are absolutely electric. It makes one pine for more retro-style compositions in future film releases, and this offering could make such a desire come true.
I honestly didn't know what to expect from Drive. To be honest, I didn't think Hollywood was still capable of producing action-oriented films that could present a fresh new take on the genre and, while possessing the requisite chases and violence, could still give us complex, motivated characters and focus on what was important rather than tack on an unnecessary amount of flash and bloat. An encouraging hint that Hollywood is diminishing its resistance to the unconventional, Drive is a welcome melting pot of cinematic brilliance that pays great respect to the movies of yesteryear while still carving out its own niche for today.
Letter Grade: "A-"
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