Any guy-oriented movie that that emblazons pink titles across its opening shots must be fairly confident in itself. Drive oozes confidence in
every fiber of its being. Hello, and welcome, pink titles. The latest from Director Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson) is Drive, a superbly assembled picture that's one of
the
year's most enthralling, a movie that, yes, is evidently confident with every passing shot, and it's even more stylistically engaging than it is so openly
sure of itself. Few movies are as dynamically realized as Drive. From the opening seconds, the picture surrounds its viewers with
unflappable
visual perfection, the picture's every frame defining the essence of cool. But it's not flashy. Instead, Drive is one of the more unassuming
pictures out there, but it is made so exceptionally well, and its story defined by its always-evident cadence and painstakingly exacting visuals, that
one
cannot help but to become immersed in its very essence, an essence which actually supersedes the fairly routine specifics of the plot. The result is a
movie that's not harmed but rather helped by its unflinching dedication to style-as-storytelling. The plot is a basic one of respect, friendship, love,
revenge, mafia,
money, skill, and thrills, but it's all played within a
structure that emphasizes lingering shots and shadows that define motive, shape the story, and tell the tale. It's a minimalist approach, but a
welcome and highly successful approach. Drive is the embodiment of cinema that's reliant on confident style rather than the typical visual
and aural distractions so easily constructed within the medium that often only mask shortcomings rather than enhance the whole. Drive's
approach greatly amplifies cinematic basics, and morphs what likely would had been
in
lesser hands a throwaway nothing of a movie into one of the most captivating experiences of the past few years.
Get in.
A ridiculously gifted driver (Ryan Gosling) works as both a mechanic and a Hollywood stunt driver by day, but moonlights as a hired getaway driver
who follows strict rules and promises to evade any trouble with the law. He leads a quiet, unassuming life. He keeps largely to himself, only
interacting with his trusted boss, Shannon (Bryan Cranston), who enters into deal with a mobster, Bernie (Albert Brooks), to purchase a stock
car for The Driver to race. The Driver breaks from his routine when he offers to help a stranded motorist, whom he recognizes as a nearby neighbor
from his apartment building. Soon, he finds himself in a friendly relationship with her. She's Irene (Carey Mulligan), a mother caring for her son
Benicio (Kaden Leos) while her husband serves his time in prison. Just as their relationship seems to be taking a tun for the romantic, her husband
Standard (Oscar Isaac) is released from prison. It turns out that Standard is in quite a bit of trouble with the mob. The Driver chooses to
intervene on Standard's behalf for the sake of the woman and child he's grown to love. What follows is unimaginable violence through which The
Driver
must maneuver and survive if he's to ensure the safety of both Irene and Benicio.
Drive's opening minutes are amongst the finest ever committed to film. It absolutely defines that quiet confidence and sure-handed style
that runs through the movie and
lets the pacing and smartly-conceptualized visuals tell the story. The opening sequence, and nearly the entire film, is shaped by an undercurrent
of intensity that hangs over the picture, even in those moments of contentment and unspoken bonds between The Driver and Irene. Through it all
is a
heavy sense of terrible anticipation and emotional uneasiness, both of which are ultimately realized, though the film remains as intoxicatingly
smooth
in its most serene and most violently aggressive moments -- on the road and off -- alike. The entire picture remains true to this same basic
structure,
never
once sacrificing its integrity or abandoning its cadence for a flashier action scene. The car chases are extremely well done, fast and powerful and
succinct, defined by the
rhythm
of the engines, the crashing of the metal, and the squealing of the tires, all becoming those scenes' pulse. Meanwhile, the man-on-man violence
comes
equally fast and brutal but is never drawn further than is required to move the story along. The picture meshes the extremes of violence and
tenderness of burgeoning love -- or at the very least deep respect and deeper friendship -- remarkably well. It's a testament to that uncanny
cadence
that keeps the movie even no matter what the characters are thinking, what's happening, where the movie is, where it's been, or where it's going.
In that
way, the movie is at its best both in those quiet moments of serenity and through its most devastatingly brutal action alike. Drive is like a
heartbeat,
rising and falling but always there, quickly returning to a norm whether following a spurt of movement or a moment of pause.
In a broader sense, the movie's sets and people are relatively plain. The film works through a rather minimalist approach in its production values,
too. It's certainly smooth and polished, but absolutely effective despite its absence of flash. Its characters are only minimally developed on the
surface, but their actions, glances, and the film's very essence of photography, lighting, and direction fill them out where the script stops. The cast is
remarkable, each playing the movie absolutely straight and uncannily finding its natural, unusual rhythm from the opening frame forward. Ryan
Gosling sells the part with a reserved and confident exterior but a far more complex interior, which he does not wear on his sleeve but rather on his
back, his symbol of scorpion reflecting the very essence of the thematic structure that runs through the movie. With Drive, it seems the
script, actors, and dialogue are only secondary necessities, even as perfectly as all fit into the final product. Words never define the movie, which
keeps the audience strictly paying attention and unraveling the story for itself rather than taking another spoon feeding of cinematic fluff.
The story, of course, is relatively simple and worn out, but Drive makes mafia and money and double crosses and the like darkly alluring
rather than generically boring. This is a movie audiences have seen before, but never seen like this. Everything blends together into one
harmonious entity, the violence at peace with the serenity, the motion never at odds with the stillness. Drive is a movie to look at as much
as it is a movie to watch; it's the way it shapes the story, not the way it tells the story, that's the highlight, and for as simple a turn as that may be
from the norm, it makes all the difference in the world between a time waster a timeless reminder of the simplistic beauty that's the other side of
the moviemaking coin.
Drive features a rich and satisfying 1080p Blu-ray transfer. The digital photography translates wonderfully here. There's very light banding and
noise to be seen in one or two shots, but the transfer is otherwise extraordinarily pristine. The movie opens in relative darkness, lit sparsely but
effectively. Blacks are superb here and elsewhere; shadow detail is strong, and overhead nighttime shots of a city lit only by street lights and the glow of
high-rise office building windows truly sparkle and showcase an almost uncanny sense of visual realism. Definition is wonderfully crisp, and clarity is
oftentimes breathtaking. Even in shadows and low light, the image reveals impeccable facial and clothing details, not to mention gauges and accents
inside the cars. Brighter scenes, of which there were many, sparkle. Not only does detail remain incredibly strong, but color balance proves faultless.
The interior of a supermarket that's awash in bright product-pushing shades, the warm interior of a wood-paneled elevator, and the deep blue denim of a
shirt are all pure, never straying from a vivid but balanced appearance. Flesh tones, no surprise, are also finely-tuned throughout. No matter its place
or
time, Drive's Blu-ray transfer remains strong. The digital photography never takes on that glossy, lifeless appearance, the movie instead organic
and eye-catching from beginning to end. The sum of the whole is another brilliant Blu-ray outing from Sony.
Drive speeds onto Blu-ray with a sonically intense and pure DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music styles range from soft to raucous, yet
the track handles all with precision and clarity. Music accompanying a montage in chapter five plays remarkably smooth and airy, while heavier beats
energize the soundstage but remain accurate and true to style. All is spacious and enveloping, which carries over to every other sonic element that
shapes the movie. Whether a steady undercurrent of heavy bass -- which only takes a turn for the slightly unkempt at the very bottom -- or
whisper-quiet ambience, the track always folds the listener into each and every moment. Even with subtle elements like radio police chatter or the
"door
ajar" warning chime of a Chevy Impala, there's no shortage of seamless, well-constructed and finely-intetgrated audible elements that round the track
into seamless form. High impact sound effects are equally revealing. A helicopter buzzes overhead in an early scene. Car engines rumble, tires squeal,
and metal twists in various chase scenes. Gunshots blast out with startling precision that will rattle the listener's nerves. Squishy gore effects sound
authentic. Dialogue is steady and center-focused, even if it's sometimes rare. This is another strong, very well constructed lossless soundtrack from
Sony.
Drive is a fine little movie that's quite unlike most pictures dotting the cinematic landscape these days. It's more style than substance, more
confident than profit-driven, but this is a rare case where style is so good -- because it's so reserved and so engaging simultaneously -- that it dwarfs
substance, which is fairly shallow but that does become more meaningful the further viewers want to dig. Everything in the movie plays in absolute
perfect
harmony, the entire thing defined by the smoothest, most faultlessly-constructed visuals in recent memory. Sony's Blu-ray release of Drive
features high quality video and audio to go along with five substantive extras. Very highly recommended.
In an early announcement to retailers, Sony Pictures has revealed that it will release on Blu-ray Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn's (Bronson, Valhalla Rising) Drive (2010), starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. Earlier this year, the film, which was distributed ...
