Drive

            Everyone knows how to drive. You press the gas and move forwards, the brake to stop and “Drive” is, well a long and winding drive with a driver a bit heavy on the brakes. This new film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling and Carrie Mulligan has all the set-up and makings of an exciting action movie, without the action.

            “Drive” is a challenge to see how many possible camera angles you can have inside a car. The conclusion seems to be not many. Or at least not many where you can still fully admire Ryan Gosling’s somber and beautiful face. This stony, silent façade is what makes up the majority of this movie. When Ryan gosling was cast as the mysterious driver, it seems it was decided that an hour of silent screen time for Gosling should be added. The close ups of his face show, in great detail, his detached ‘badass’ face or perhaps just that he is lacking a portion of his brain. The expression Gosling wears for the entire movie is so glossy and blank you begin to bet with yourself whether or not he is even capable of emotion.

            In between the many silences, “Drive” tells the story of a man, only identified as Driver, who works at a car garage by day and drives getaway cars for criminals by night. Driver soon becomes besotted (well we can only guess, is that a glimmer of love in his eyes?) with his lovely neighbor (Carrie Mulligan) who of course has a husband recently released from prison and involved in a criminal gang. The beautiful neighbor also has a doe-eyed little boy and the ensuing plot involving the criminal gang and the Driver all occurs for the sake of the boy, but of course we all know it’s really about the girl.

            Despite the somewhat predictable plot and close up views of Gosling’s facial skin pores, “Drive” is different from other generic action/car chase movies. Although the silences are a few too many, their presence does create suspense and give the audience time to think in between the action. In a normal car chase movie the audience is left with no time to mull over what is actually going on. “Drive” provides ample time for thinking which gives more emphasis to the emotional and psychological aspects of the characters. The movie, being of a dark and violent subject, leaves you with time to consider the psychological repercussions of the violence. The several violent scenes in the movie are indeed, extremely bloody, perhaps excessively so, but the suddenness of the violence in contrast to the vacant silence certainly makes it more powerful.  

            “Drive” is an intriguing and sometimes boring drive through the mind of Driver. The ride sometimes comes to an abrupt halt and sometimes moves like you’re out of gas, and then there are the occasional accelerations, speeding up to pass through the yellow light. Though it can be dull and predictable at times the overall effect of “Drive” leaves you intrigued and pensive about what the long silences were really about.