Saturday 1 October 2011

Movie Review: Drive

And while I spent so much time volunteering and hanging around TIFF, I even wrote a movie review published on andPOP!


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Rating: 4.5/5

If you’re looking for another heartthrob-worthy performance from Ryan Gosling, you won’t be getting much of that in Drive.
But nevertheless, you won’t be able to keep your eyes off him.
In Drive, Gosling is mysterious and riveting and the only name available for his character is Driver.
A Hollywood stunt driver and mechanic by day, Driver serves as a wheelman for night time heists.
In early scenes of the movie, he’s helped by his boss and mentor Shannon (played by Malcolm in the Middle’s Bryan Cranston) who gives him a Chevy Impala to  drive his clientele around to do their dirty deeds.
All goes well until he gets involved with his neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her young son Benicio. When her  husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) is released from prison, Irene and Benicio’s safety is at risk.
Gosling’s ‘Driver’ tries to save the situation by helping Standard steal money from a pawn shop.  But when the heist goes awry, it’s up to ‘Driver’ to take things in his own hands.
Fresh from Nicolas Winding Refn’s Best Director win at the Cannes Film Festival, Drive is an excellent action-drama thriller packed with violence and exciting car chases. Much like the style of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Pulp Fiction, the film is filled with blood and gore.  Though the movie lacks dialogue,  Refn somehow makes it work through the film’s characters’ actions and expressions.
While Gosling is supported by a talented cast that includes the likes of Christina Hendricks, Albert Brooks, Mulligan and Cranston, he holds his own playing the violent and badass Driver. And while there isn’t much that can be learned about the Driver, you’ll somehow still be swooning over him as he tries to save the day in order to protect the girl he’s fallen for.
Drive may not be for everyone due to its violence and gore, but it’s definitely a film worth watching. With a retro ’80s-inspired score and beautiful shots of the Los Angeles streets and skylines, it will keep the audience  jumping in their seats from all the adrenaline and tension that arises from the film.


(Photo courtesy of andPOP) 

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