Review: Drive

     One critic on twitter described this movie as “100 minutes during which neither Ryan Gosling nor Christina Hendricks is shirtless.” While this is a true assessment of the film, it does gloss over much of the subtleties and intriguing plot of the film. Unlike most heist movies or crime dramas, this is less interested in action and is more of an exercise in style, but nothing is sacrificed in order to achieve the slick looks, the film is supported by not only a good story, but also a cast full of gifted actors giving top-notch performances.

     Ryan Gosling plays our hero, an unnamed getaway driver for hire. In the opening scene we see him aiding a couple burglars as he manages to escape the police by not only using speed, but also stealth and a knowledge of the Los Angeles streets. During the day he works as a Hollywood stunt driver and as a mechanic at a garage owned by Bryan Cranston. One day, Gosling meets Irene (Carey Mulligan), his neighbor in his new apartment building. Shortly after their meeting, Irene's husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac), is released from prison, and against our expectations, Standard is not a street thug or gangster and seems to be a genuinely good guy who has been reformed while in jail. Standard is at first a little wary of Gosling, but eventually gets along quite amicably with The Driver. Unfortunately for Standard, he is still in debt to some less than reputable people, so Gosling offers to drive for him when he, Standard and Christina Hendricks rob a Pawn Shop. This is the point when things go wrong. It turns out they stole money from some mobsters, Ron Perlman and his brother, a ruthless Albert Brooks going way against type.

     Gosling's performance reminds one a lot of Clint Eastwood in the “Man with no Name” series. We aren't shown much of anything about his character's past and he shows relatively little emotion to all of things going on around him. We see him as a professional, someone who is exceedingly good at what he does. We know what he cares about through his actions rather than his emotions, but where he came from is a mystery. Albert Brooks is another highlight of this film. We've become so accustomed to seeing him play comedic/fatherly roles it's shocking to see him act cruelly and violently, but he does a great job at it. I agree with many others that he was robbed of a Oscar nomination for this performance. What's in the forefront however is the highly stylized look of the film. The color schemes of many of the scenes would be right at home in the mid-to-late 1980s, along with most of the heavily electronic soundtrack. Gosling's now iconic scorpion jacket is another throwback to 80s style and has even developed something of a life of its own; appearing in an episode of Parks and Recreation as well as becoming a popular Halloween costume.