Rating of
4/4
'Tension' - Drive
Oddkins - wrote on 02/16/13
If at any point you wanted to put put Drive on pause, you would be presented with something suitable for framing as a poster on the wall. Every shot in this movie is immaculately conceived and presented. Much in the same way as Quentin Tarantino, Nicolas Winding Refn lets his shots play - and play they do. The cinematography in the movie is staggering. It's as close to a perfect presentation if ever there was one.
The thing about Drive that seems to divide people one way or the other is... well, that it's very nearly on the edge of being a boring movie. However when you examine the characters and dialogue - especially on repeated viewings - there is always something... else, going on. A nuance that the director doesn't necessarily want to thrust into your face or another thing that informs the movie in a significant and quiet way. The act of watching the film requires complete participation from the viewer and thusly is going to leave some people wanting as the experience here is anything but 'hyperkinetic action' throughout.
Ryan gosling turns in a spectacular performance as 'Driver' here. With very little dialogue he manages to convey everything he needs to via his facial expressions and mannerisms. This role could not have been played any other way and by any other actor.
Drive is a classic example of showing and not telling. Almost everything about the movie is suggested to the viewer through the visuals, music and the general ebb and flow of the film.
If you like Pop music, Photography, Tension, Quiet Storytelling (Think of the pacing of a Western) and characters that live in that area of grey that is open to interpretation. Then you are gonna dig Drive. If not, you may be in some trouble.
One part character study. One part romance. Smaller part action film, Drive is all about feeling your way through the experience. A movie that surely will be used for demonstration purposes in film school circuits.
