Drive is a good
film although it is not transcendent. One must view the film as a production
that does everything right but is unable to appeal to the emotions in any
significant way apart from the shock associated with the bloodletting in the
final half hour. The film is not entirely clear on how the main unnamed
character (Ryan Gosling) is to be portrayed and it is for this reason that the
film denies itself any poignant revelations about humanity. There are good
moments however that do point to the nature of this character and these scenes
speak to his emotionally distant approach to events. The story of the film is
pretty basic with only a few twist and turns to make all the characters major
players. This small circle of characters highlights that everyone is connected
in some way. The story revolves around a mysterious, emotionally distant driver
who does illicit jobs such as providing a getaway for robbers and a legitimate
stunt man job for the movies who grows attached to a woman named Irene (Carey
Mulligan) and her child while the father is in prison. After several events go
awry with the father, who is indebted to the mob, the life of Irene and her
child is at stake and it is left to the mysterious driver to ensure their
safety. I was reminded of The Transporter
series and No Country for Old Men (2007).
The latter film is superior for reasons I will not go into here although it has
to do with the several layers of the film manifest in three different
characters caught up in the drug trade along the U.S .A/Mexico border: The
Sheriff, the Villain and the Cowboy caught in the middle. Drive would have resonated if it had such layers to the film. We
are asked to identify with this character and cannot understand him apart from
his emotional expression. The other characters in the film are second tier and
there is no sympathy generated for them.
The title for the film also has a lot to do with the character however
it is not truly defined in any significant way. We never understand why driving
is such a significant part of this character. We only know that he is a good
driver. I appreciated the soundtrack however it seemed to be trying to explain
the film for the viewer as opposed to the film coming to these conclusions. I
was not convinced by this emotionally distant character who is trying to play a
dark knight role. The production values of the film are the stand out here such
as the low pulse in the soundtrack (which sounded like elements used in the
soundtrack fort The Dark Knight) the
editing which streamlines the narrative in such a manner to generate a kinetic
effect with regards to the action and the acting which is good but hardly
resonant. There is never a sense that there is anything mysterious or something
inscrutable apart from the driver however is this character worth knowing that
much about?
What’s good about
this film?
This film has good things going for it and this is all
attributed to the understated performance of Ryan Gosling as the unnamed
driver. His performance is one of restraint and this makes his violent flurries
more poignant. The opening scene best explains his character who acts as the
axle on which everything spins. His character contrasts with the others since they
are extroverted or they are more social individuals capable of interacting with
humanity. Characters such as the driver represent those individuals who anchor
the extroverted types who are subject to the whims and fancies of the world of
man. These whims and fancies are either one of tragedy or cause for celebration.
When the mood is celebratory then these extroverts are so caught up in the
moment they ignore characters such as the driver however when the times become
tragic and the number of friends dwindle it is then that the emotionally
distant introvert becomes recognizable. These individuals are instrumental to
these extroverts when times become rough because it is then that they will have
to grapple with staying in the dark alone. The introverted character is the one
who can guide them through the dark since being emotionally distant normally
implies that this is his domain since he is capable of handling isolation. This
all depends on whether the introvert or emotionally distant character is
interested in helping the extrovert through these troubled times that are
normally brought about by tragedy. If the extrovert or socially acceptable
person does recover from this tragedy it is more than likely due to the so
called emotionally distant/or unknown character that aided in their
regeneration. When I speak of tragedy I am speaking about a significant fall
from grace not something that ‘a few vitamins can cure’. Few people experience
tragedy in their lifetime. If someone is able to spend time with you during
your time of tragedy then it implies that he or she is not engaged sufficiently
in a social life. It is difficult for out and out extroverts to commit to the
needs of others experiencing tragedy since it is difficult for them to
sympathize with this plight which involves bringing them down into a morass of
despair. In some cases they take advantage of the individual’s plight if they
can so as to advance up the social ladder which means moving more into the
spotlight. Individuals such as the driver are normally never forgotten by those
who they help in times of grief; the help that they offer to these individuals
reminds them of the possibilities of falling into the morass again and having
no one to save you. They are also reminded that in times of joy there is
normally one waiting in the wings should they fall. They call characters such
as this guardian angels etc and they are the subjects of songs sung mostly by
females who are hung up on their own pain. Most men in fact act as this sort of
buffer for females in the spotlight. In any case it is not surprising that the
driver helps a lady with a child whose husband is in the jail. When the mob
demand repayment of their debt accumulated by the husband in prison through the robbery of a pawn shop which has a large stash of cash it
is no surprise that the driver steps in to help him as a means to secure Irene
who he has feelings for. You wonder at first why he is drawn to her and we see
her being playful with her son and this belies some melancholy and it is clear
that he senses a need for help and so he offers his assistance and plants
himself in their lives like a solid immovable rock. It is no surprise that
Irene misses him so dramatically by the end after he has saved her near the
end. This character reminded me of the batman in The Dark Knight. These sort of emotionally withdrawn characters can
be brutal which implies that they can do good but to do so they have to be bad
while they do it. Anton Chigurh in No
Country for Old Men showed how unfeeling a character such as this can
become since he usually has no sympathy for anyone. These chilling moments in Drive are revealed when the mysterious
driver goes into his violent outbursts to protect the woman he has feelings
for. He does this in a particular scene where he stomps on a man’s face
repeatedly until the facial bones shatter.
Irene is not the only
person who needs his help for there is the mechanic, Shannon, played by Bryan
Cranston who took the driver in as an assistant and who provides whim with
opportunities to score some cash as a getaway driver for robberies. There is one
memorable scene where the loan shark, Bernie, played by Albert Brooks sensing
the withdrawn element in the driver’s character informs him about the tragedy
of Shannon who has never had much luck or is a down and outer which is why his
leg is slightly handicapped. Bernie recently gave Shannon a loan to put a car
on the race track with the driver as the driver. You sense here that the driver
sensed a need in Shannon’s life and decided to step right in; you only grasp
this as the movie progresses. It is a good element in the film that adds range
to the portrayal of this character by not limiting him to the female. When the ultimate tragedy, known as death
before your time, strikes Shannon you do feel something for him. You can also
understand why the driver is frustrated with some ill timed moves by Shannon
for it must be true that he is always down on his luck. The driver must be
frustrated that he cannot help him and it is clear that his moments of
frustration arise out of these moments of helplessness. This film therefore
does balance these elements very well.
Well it is not really established why he is so emotionally
distant but this is more than likely due to the fact that he has no fear. We
sense this in the first scenes of the film where his knowledge of the 100000
streets in Los Angeles serve him well in getaways. This film does highlight
that things do not always go according to plan and this normally puts the
driver in a quandary as it exposes his uncertainty which is the precursor to
outright fright. He is also assured of his job simply because he works
according to a tight schedule that lessens the possibility of failure; failure
normally occurs when things go off course.
The elements of the mob are also well developed through the
characters of Bernie and Nino although they are not so definitive and can be
classified as caricatures in the best sense
The soundtrack is a good element in the film particularly
the low pulse that occurs in moments. The editing is also pretty good and
generates a kinetic effect particularly in the violent moments. They were also
able to condense the film into a suitable running time of 97 minutes.
What’s bad about
this film?
This film is not as resonant as one may think because most
of the characters are not developed beyond the caricature type. It is true that
the actors deliver good performances for they are instantly identifiable but it
does not necessarily hold as the film progresses. This applies also to the
driver. This is due to a certain smug air assumed amongst most of the males and
a self assuredness that crumbles and is not maintained throughout. When things
crumble they become violent and this does not hold for there is not a premise
that holds these characters together. They are not established early enough as integral
to the plot and so as it goes along these characters conveniently become
essential to the plot without being absolutely necessary for their stories need
not intertwine. No Country for Old Men
did this exceptionally well by highlighting the three leads early on in the
story thereby showing that different agendas lead them on the same path. No Country for Old Men maintained the
suspense for the paths of the three leads never collided. The suspense/menace
comes when there is a possibility of an encounter rather than the encounter
itself. This film is devoid of much mystery or menace as everything comes to a
head in the usual conflict associated with lesser action flicks. You know that
the good guy will seek revenge and will eventually defeat the villains. There
is no real sense of the impact of the violence in this film or the wider
struggle associated with fate. In No
Country for Old Men the premise was that there are no clean getaways and by
the end of the film you understand what they are saying. This film does not
have a clear premise unless it is the song that states that the driver is
capable of being a human being. He helps
a lady for sure but does he really have an agenda. He acts quiet all the time
and when things go awry when the mob come with a vengeance he is forced to
leave his shell and so kiss the female
or tell her why he is doing the things he is doing. By limiting the story to
the female you wondered if this driver has more to him than this whimsical love
interest. He drives and that seems to be the only way he can express his
feelings so why is he so drawn to cars and driving and why do they represent
his absolute in life. Why is it symbolic? Is it because driving suggests that
you keep moving or limitless possibilities? Is it a state of limbo? When he
wants to show the lady a good time he drives and makes you wonder whether they
are taking a cue from Tracy Chapman’s song ‘Fast Car’. Why not take her on a
walk? Or is he conditioned by his existence as a driver? What is his drive? (no
pun intended) This emotionally distant character does not seem so mysterious
when we see him pouting because of the news that the lady’s husband will be
released from prison soon. He threatens to kick a man’s teeth in. In this scene
he loses his cool and his mystery so why would they make him so mysterious in
the first place. This is also revealed in his violent outbursts where he has
little or no control over his rage and you wonder if this is the same person
who keeps his cool all the time. Instead of showing him adapt to certain
situations and maintain his absolute nature of coolness they lower him bit by
bit throughout the film because of the girl. There is no sense of a wider
struggle for it is all too convenient that every character in the film is
intertwined when this should have been established earlier on in the film. Why
would they slowly reveal this to us and then throw the narrative into a
downward spiral that loses momentum? The film is not essentially speaking about
how humans collide or are forced onto the same paths in meeting the same goal
it only obscures this issue; the main reason for this foul up was the focus on
the driver himself and the fact that there is not much associated with his
character apart from his need to fill the void in people’s lives. It is
understandable what his role is as a guardian angel but it is not clear what
constitutes a guardian angel. Is it a personal vendetta? And if so what does
that say when the vendetta of his is settled? He has saved the girl and he
drives off into the night but we are still left with a character that has no
essential purpose but to pout when things do not go his own way. There is not a
suitable framework which could have provided a vehicle for him to express
himself. These elements are relegated and only become clear later on in the
film. No Country for Old Men for
instance made it clear early on that the wider context that determines these
three men’s interactions was the drug trade along the border that divides the
U. S.A and Mexico. This film does not establish any particular context apart
from the mob that loom over the lives of everyone however we only discover the
mob later on. It would have been more appealing if the driver came to blows
with the mob itself as opposed to its lackeys in the form of Bernie and Nino.
This is not necessarily a negative criticism but the context we eventually
discover to be the mob should have been repositioned
in the film to speak about its nature and how the lives of ordinary individuals
are caught in the mix of its nefarious underworld. The driver would represent
the absolute that the mob would never be able to control. They hint at it in
the film but it will never be made clear to the average viewer what the issues
truly are. It seems pasted on for some semblance of finality especially as the
individuals of the film did not need to be intertwined. Even if they did the
screenwriters never give a plausible
reason for this. When Shannon inadvertently reveals to Bernie that he knows
where the driver lives he, the driver, is taken aback and pouts again. He was
supposed to remain an absolute but now that they know your contact details you
become flustered. Is he really absolute? If he was then Shannon would not know where he lives? The
Joker, in The Dark Knight, for
instance was not intimidated by the mob because no one knew where to get to
him; he had no identity where he could be traced. He was so hidden that batman
was at a loss. Is he really that mysterious? It is not clear why he is so
brutal and where he learned his craft as a fighter. The other characters are
perplexed by him because he acts mysterious not necessarily because he is
mysterious. He is like any other quiet American with a mysterious past which we
will never know about. Is that a good thing especially as he has no essential
purpose apart from driving? His greatness as a character can only be determined
by his interaction with others like himself. There is none like him in the film
and so I was at a loss as to why he is so distinctive. Is he the only one that
performs these sort of heists? The film also missed the chance to discuss urban
alienation which is perhaps what he suffers from. Is he a Taxi Driver like the
one played by De Niro in the Scorsese classic (look out for review of Taxi Driver)? If so what does that say
about his mental state? He cannot be the only one and so by trying to make it
appear that way does not really serve the purpose of the filmmakers.
The songs in the musical score were certainly imposing and
ruined that slow steady pulse of the earlier scenes. They seemed to be giving
cues in order to understand the character by saying that he is capable of being
a human being but what does it mean to be human. He pouts a lot in the final
scenes of the film that must mean that he is human.
All in all a good film but more was needed to be done to
make this film essential viewing.
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