Once again we find ourselves at that time of year where the films contending for honours at the Academy Awards begin to be released. One of the first to be released this year is Drive. The film revolves around the Driver, played brilliantly by Ryan Gosling, a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver who discovers a bounty has been placed on his head after a heist goes wrong.Directed masterfully by the talented Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson), Drive is a truly masterful exercise in suspense and action. One of the many great features of the film is its action sequences. Which are inventively directed and uniquely shot. The film is also superbly edited; this strong edit means that the film is very lean and taught, without any scenes that feel baggy or unnecessary. As well as Gosling’s excellent performance, Drive also features a superb turn from Carey Mulligan as the Driver’s on/off love interest Irene. In addition to the superb work by the two leads, the film also boasts some impressive supporting performances; most notably by Ron Perlman as Nino and Albert Brooks as Bernie Rose. The latter of which must be a contender for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
One aspect of the film that I was worried about before it came out was its 80’s centric soundtrack and promotion as it would be very easy to overdo it and for the 80’s theme to come across as cliché. However, Winding Refn handles it perfectly and it compliments the theme and look of the film brilliantly. The soundtrack is actually one of THE stand out elements of the film alongside the superb performances and unique direction.
Drive is a truly superb, artistic and intelligent movie which riffs on the classic car movies of the 70’s and 80’s. Ryan Gosling is outstanding in the lead role and is brilliantly supported by Carey Mulligan, Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks. Also, all of these elements are superbly brought together by the visionary direction of Nicolas Winding Refn, one of the most talented upcoming directors in the world today.
