“Drive” is a neo-noir (Noir commonly refers to stylistic crime dramas. They often involve a very pessimistic view.) action film directed by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. It follows an unnamed man who is stunt driver by day and get-away driver by night. The movie does not waste any time, it grabs you with a fistful of suspense in the first five minutes. The movie is not initially set apart by its action, but it is certainly unique. The magic behind this is tone. The film holds a heavy darkness that is rarely found in a film, especially an action.
Ryan Gosling is wonderful as Driver. He perfectly captures the mysterious nature of the character and is nearly unreadable in his emotions. Nearly. A complete lack of emotion is a bad performance, but masking them in such a way where there are always subtle signs of what the character is really feeling is an amazing rarity. Carey Mulligan is good as Driver’s neighbor and love interest. The way that these two characters bond and interact, more out of discreet expressions and quiet actions than words, would be boring if it were not for the chemistry of the two. Words are not needed here.
When Irene’s (Mulligan) husband gets out of prison and tries to turn his life around, his former gang connections come violently back. Driver, who has come to care for the family, agrees to help Irene’s husband do one last job to clear his debts. The heist goes bad, and suddenly Driver and those he cares about are in danger. He transitions from a gentle, quietly compassionate man into a menace. He holds a very particular terror as he exacts a horrible vengeance.
“Drive” is dark, violent, gruesome, and strangely beautiful. Amid so much death and gore is a sort of painting on the screen. The amount of thought put into each shot is easily seen. “Drive” is a perfect vehicle for the brilliance of one of Hollywood’s most talented stars. It is a wonderful film, well worth the drive to Scottsbluff or Chadron to see it.