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Last year, Ryan Gosling starred in a movie where he played a stuntman. It was called The Fall Guy, and, while it was reviewed pretty well, it didn’t exactly explode at the box office.
Even so, it was a fun little flick, and it even had an interesting twist. It’s not, though, what I would deem one of Ryan Gosling’s best movies. You want to know what I would call one of his best films? 2011’s Drive. In it, Gosling plays yet ANOTHER stuntman. This isn’t an action comedy like The Fall Guy. Instead, it’s an action drama directed by Nicolas Winding Refn.
Upon its release, a lot of people were talking about Drive. However, nowadays, I rarely hear anybody say, “Hey, remember Drive? That movie was awesome,” which bothers me, because Drive is awesome. I think people should still be talking about it like they do other awesome movies like Pulp Fiction, Heat, and The Town. Here’s why.
Ryan Gosling Is Always Cool, But He’s Never Been Cooler Than He Is As The Driver
Do you know how cool Ryan Gosling is in Drive? So cool that he doesn’t even have a name. He’s simply known as The Driver. Now, while I thought it was kind of lame in Tenet when the protagonist was called…The Protagonist, I actually think it’s cool that Gosling’s character is so mysterious that he doesn’t even get a name. He just gets a title.
That’s cool. What’s also cool is that by day, he’s a Hollywood stunt driver and a mechanic, but at night, he’s a getaway driver. This dual persona just exudes a sort of toughness that makes you wonder which job is more dangerous: putting his life on the line to pull off amazing stunts during the day, or, pursuing a life of crime when the lights go down?
Well, the answer is the latter, but that’s only once he gets involved with his neighbor, Irene (played by Carey Mulligan) and her son. Prior to that, he works well with his auto shop owner friend, Shannon, played by Bryan Cranston. Shannon is the one who connects The Driver with a mobster, played by Albert Brooks, and his partner, played by Ron Perlman.
The problem is, his neighbor’s husband, played by Oscar Issac, gets The Driver embroiled in a heist once a third party threatens Irene and her child. To protect them, The Driver gets involved, and it leads him down a path that he can’t get out of once he gets started.
And, man. Gosling is just so cool in this picture. He wears a white jacket with a scorpion on the back, and he’s so calm when he kills people that he’s almost serene. He barely talks in the entire movie, and there’s always just this air of mystery about him. Like I said, Gosling is always cool, but he’s never been cooler than he was as The Driver.
The Soundtrack Is Insanely Good And Perfectly Fits The Film
Honestly, one of the main reasons why I’ve probably never forgotten this movie is because of its amazing soundtrack, which features music from Johnny Jewel and is scored by Cliff Martinez.
Drive is definitely in my top five favorite scores of all time, and it’s right up there with Apocalypse Now, Reservoir Dogs (which I think is the perfect debut picture), There Will Be Blood, and Midnight Cowboy.
I think I love it so much because it doesn’t really fit the movie. I mean, it does, and it doesn’t. What I mean is, even though this film was meant to take place in modern times (which was 2011 when it debuted) it has a serious ‘80s, synth vibe to it, kind of like the video game, Hotline Miami, which came out a year later. That creates a stark contrast to what’s going on in the story, but also compliments it extremely well.
In fact, I can’t think of another soundtrack that both fits to such an extreme degree, and yet, shouldn’t fit at all. Here you have this dark and violent action movie, and then you have this cheery, retro, synth electronic sound that feels like a juxtaposition, but then doesn’t at the same time.
It’s strange, but I really don’t think this movie would be nearly as good if it didn’t have such a stellar soundtrack. This music really is everything.
The Movie Also Has Style For Days
I know I already mentioned Reservoir Dogs in this article, but one of my favorite directors of all time is Quentin Tarantino, and it’s because his style is instantly recognizable. In fact, I think the same could be said of most iconic directors. Even if they make entirely different movies, a director’s style is their trademark, their calling card. It’s what makes them an auteur (when you watch a Stanley Kubrick movie, you know it’s a Kubrick movie).
Then you have Nicolas Winding Refn, who I can’t really get a handle on. With Drive’s cool characters (and even cooler dialogue –”Have you ever heard of the story of the scorpion and the frog?”), bright lights, but low tones, and overall arthouse aesthetic, this movie has style for days.
Keep in mind, though. The movie that came out prior to this from Refn was the bleak and dour Valhalla Rising, which couldn’t be any more different. It’s interesting to watch both films back-to-back just to see how versatile Refn can be, but I digress.
It’s not only the look that makes this movie so stylistic, though, but also how the characters act. Christina Hendricks plays a thief, but she’s such a cool thief. The same can be said of Albert Brooks, who plays a Jewish-American mobster. He can’t just kill Cranston’s character by shooting him in the head. Of course not. That’d be too pedestrian a death. Instead, he slashes Shannon’s arm with a razor, making him bleed out.
It’s all of these elements that just make this movie feel so different, unique, and stylistic in a way that just can’t be beat.
The Heist-Gone-Wrong Storyline Is Simple, But Effective
I want to say that at its heart, Drive is a love story, but it’s really not.
If it’s anything, it’s a heist-gone-wrong story, and it’s super simple, but really effective. As mentioned earlier, The Driver forms a sort of relationship with his neighbor, Irene. Before it can go very far, Irene’s husband gets out of jail, and he gets in trouble almost immediately, and is forced into robbing a pawn shop.
To protect Irene, The Driver acts as a getaway driver for her husband, but everything goes south quickly, and he ends up in hot water with other people connected to the heist.
It’s a relatively simple story, but the music, style, and acting make it feel more than just that.
In that way, a story that could have been rather bland ended up being anything but, which brings me to my last point as to why people should rewatch (or watch) this movie.
Overall, It’s Just A Memorable Masterpiece
Oftentimes, I feel movies aren’t the sum of their parts. I’ll enjoy certain aspects of films, but taken as a whole, I just feel like something’s missing.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the movie is bad, but it also means that there is just something holding it back from greatness. In other words, it’s not a 10 out of 10 movie like Sinners, where everything just seems to fall into place.
However, Drive really is a 10 out of 10 movie. The characters, vibe, music, and story are memorable, as is everything else, and it pains me to see that nobody really talks about it anymore.
Yes, it came out in 2011, and much has changed since then. Do you know what hasn’t? That this movie is a freaking masterpiece, and I stand behind that statement.
What do you think? Have you ever seen Drive? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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