Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn could have turned an action film into a masterpiece. He was damn close, and the necessary ingredients were in the right places: Ryan Gosling in the lead role, talents like Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks in the supporting cast, a tremendously dynamic soundtrack, restrained car chases and some heavy suspense. "Drive," however, does not find perfection because the film is too addicted to its excessive choice of style.
Gosling stars as the unnamed protagonist, a detached antihero who spends his days as a stunt driver on movie sets and his nights as a wheelman for criminals. Driving — legally and illegally — is not only his occupation, but also his obsession. In the 2005 James Sallis novel that provides the basis for the film, the main character is named "Driver," as if it were the only epithet to properly define him.
Driver's handler is Shannon (Cranston), a limping mechanic with plenty of personality. Shannon concocts a plan to get Driver into stockcar racing. Presumably, Driver's talent will make them rich. The only hiccup is that they need financing for the car, which brings in kingpin Bernie Rose (Brooks) and his deep pockets — up the criminal ladder we go! Rose has a business partner named Nino (Perlman), and the two run a "respectable" Los Angeles criminal organization.
The other half of the plot focuses on Driver's personal life. He falls for his new neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan), a young mom with a son named Benicio and a husband in jail. Driver cares for Irene and Benicio until her husband returns. When viewers discover the husband has old debts to pay, the separate strands of the plot begin to weave together. Though Driver tries to help cover the debt, a double-crossing turns Irene into a widow. For the remainder of the film, Driver seeks revenge on anyone who comes after Irene and Benicio.
Cranston and Perlman aren't given much screen time, but they make the most of their time impressively. The same goes for Brooks, who ventures into unchartered territory by playing a truly violent son-of-a-gun rather than a comical character. As for Mulligan, she takes on a role that doesn't require her to do much other than smile at Gosling, but can you blame her for wanting to smile at that man?
Gosling is the perfect actor to play Driver. Because the part is very thin on dialogue, it requires nuanced body language. Some viewers will assume that because Gosling did not speak a lot, he therefore did not have to act a lot, but interpreting his performance as empty would be a big mistake.
Driver is a fascinating character. He is the inverse of Heath Ledger's The Joker from "The Dark Knight" (2008). The Joker is all above the surface; everything he feels the audience feels as well.
Driver does his best to keep emotions internal, even in violent situations. His constant struggle to control the moving parts around him while remaining calm creates great tension throughout the film.
To be clear, Driver is not a hero. In this film, there are no heroes and villains — only smart guys and dumb guys who both crave self-preservation. If anything, he is a sadist with a twisted code of honor. Yet, viewers will leave the theater thinking Gosling is the coolest sadist ever to appear on screen; he is brutally handsome in a bloodstained white jacket. Gosling is so cool in this role that he makes Steve McQueen look like David Hasselhoff.
Aside from Gosling, most credit for the film's success should go to its director, Refn. He brings a wholly European style of directing to a genre bombarded with constant explosions and digital imagery. There are extended, thoughtful camera shots and meaningful action sequences doled out in the appropriate places. Refn has constructed an action movie with a steady pulse and laced it with a magnificent Europop soundtrack.
Less impressive is Refn's propensity for extreme violence. In the second half of the film, some scenes overindulge in gore and bloodshed. It is disappointing that such a restrained film resorts to overly-stylized violence near the end.
"Drive" is not an easy film to watch. It defies viewers' attention spans that have been conditioned to expect cheap thrills. Refn may fight these conventions a little too hard. He has obvious skill, but some shots go on for too long and the film is a bit too barren at times. However, though "Drive" may not be an action masterpiece, it is the action film audiences want and need.
