Drive (2011)

Engine roar, criminals chased by police, top-notch cars…

Doesn't it seem like another déjà vu? However, you are mistaken if you think that Drive is another action movie in The Fast and the Furious or The Transporter style. Paraphrasing the classical saying, I must say that trailers are deceiving. Despite the catchy title and all other attributes of the genre, Drive is in fact something quite different, much more profound and psychological.

Ryan Gosling's personage is a reckless guy, who seems to have been born with a wheel in his hands. A nameless driver and a lone wolf, he leads a double life. In the light of the day he works as a stuntman in the shooting area of blockbusters, but under the cover of the night he is a wheelman, assisting criminals in robberies. Gosling has shown once again how good he is at playing heroes with hard lives. He has managed to create a very unusual character. Again, if compared to those tough fast-and-furious guys, he seems surprisingly quiet and even phlegmatic. In the beginning he is not at all attractive, instead of delight and respect he instills only sympathy or even indifference. He rents a cheap apartment and gets on with kids. And that's all. Too simple and too ordinary. Not a Statham for sure. But don't be misled by this cunning move of the director. The more disappointing the personage may seem in the beginning, the more stunning the metamorphoses in his character and behavior are after he realizes that his beloved woman and her child are in danger.

An orphan with no close friends and relations, the Driver unexpectedly finds a kindred soul in his quiet little neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan). Her husband is in jail and she and her son Benicio (Kaden Leos) need someone to help them. Little by little the Driver, though still a man of few words but always ready to solve problems, becomes an integral part of their life. And he in his turn gets more and more attached to this unremarkable small family. Anyway, a tender expression replaces a usual indifferent look in his eyes when he looks at Irene. However, according to the laws of any drama movie, this calm idyll won't last too long. Irene's husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) is released from prison being head over ears in debt. To pay the debts he renews his ties with the crime world, and Irene and Benicio are also involved in his dangerous game. The Driver is the only one to protect them, so he suddenly transforms beyond recognition and begins a game of his own, which will by all means be a game of survival.

Drive released in past autumn became one of the most controversial and disputable movies of 2011. Some critics state that it lacks dynamics and is too slow-motion for an action and a crime movie. Those who support the movie think that Nicolas Winding Refn has gone far beyond the bounds of this genre. Drive is much more than a shallow action movie, it is a strong drama and a psychological thriller lavishly seasoned with great scenes of pursuit and cool stunts. By the way, Drive got the Best Director Award of the latest Cannes Film Festival.

Two more things deserve special attention: the first is the performance of Ron Perlman, who is still great at playing villains and the second is the surprisingly good soundtrack. Tuneful songs («Nightcall», «A Real Hero») reminding the music of the ΄80s are matching the whole atmosphere of the movie and the personality of the main hero very well.