#DRIVE 2011 REVIEWS DRIVER#
However, when the Driver starts to emotionally unravel and struggles to understand his own identity, Refn keeps his cool and manages to balance the insanity of the action with the pathos of the main character.
Refn matches Gosling's performance shot for shot and it's beautiful to see an actor's delivery and a director's vision work in such perfect harmony. Telling a cinematic story from the POV of its protagonist isn't simply a matter of doing a POV-shot and Gosling isn't the only one who inhabits the Driver's calm exterior and explosive rage. It's a bizarre mix of nobility, detachment, and violent madness but Gosling brings it all together to make an utterly compelling character who holds your attention in every single frame. What's remarkable is that he's able to craft such a rich and interesting character without playing it all on the surface and then has to show how the identity deteriorates over the course of the film. He plays the characters' emotions close to the vest and tries to convey as much as possible with minor expressions. In recent years, Gosling has become one of Hollywood's most respected actors and in Drive he turns in a career-best performance.
#DRIVE 2011 REVIEWS CODE#
Like all great noir protagonists, The Driver breaks from his code to do something honorable and it leads to his downfall. The Driver decides he'll help Gabriel on a job in order to protect Irene and Benecio, but matters then fall apart as shady figures Nino (Ron Perlman) and Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks) come into play. When Irene's husband Standard Gabriel (Oscar Isaac) gets out of prison, he comes home and owes protection money to bad folks. While he attempts to keep others at a distance, he eventually warms up to his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her young son Benecio. He can outrun his pursuers when necessary, but his real strength is in his reserve and patience in the face of danger. He's a stunt-driver by day, but at night his true driving talent shines when he works as a wheelman.
Like all great noir protagonists, the Driver (Ryan Gosling) has a code and it makes him good at his job. It constantly challenges the audience to look away with its intensity, its thoughtfulness, and its brutality, but it's too damn entertaining to look away. It's a film that confidently walks the line between alienating its audience with bold choices but it never strays so far into the obtuse or the strange that you lose the hard-boiled crime story simmering underneath. It's set in present-day Los Angeles, uses an 80s score and soundtrack, features a tragic 50s noir protagonist, and wraps everyone up in archetypical figures that manage to feel fresh through strong performances and gorgeous cinematography. Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive works across time and genre.