Film Review: "Drive"

"Drive" opens up with a similar view from the movie "Transporter" with a robbery and a get away car. With Ryan Gosling as the driver and techno music playing to set the scene of the "get away." Ryan Gosling's character shows no emotion in his face from the scene where he is waiting for the robbers to come out of the building no sign of impatience or anything just an emotionless character. I personally dislike his character because of how emotionless he was. I would prefer his character to be a bit more outrageous and unexpected because of the fact that he is a professional driver in films and out on the streets of Los Angeles. His character is very traditional because in the films such as "Transporter 1 2 & 3" Jason Stathman's character is emotionless just as seen in the film "Drive." I personally think the reason for this is to try to make the character as ordinary as possible. In the first several scenes of the movie there are many close-up, reflection shots. One of them being in the very beginning when Ryan Gosling is speaking on the phone with someone and hoe he was looking out the window, with the camera at a angle showing his reflection. Also another scene in the beginning where Ryan Gosling is driving in his car through Los Angeles and having the camera on the inside showing his reflection through the mirror. There are many of these shots throughout the film I believe that the director chose to do many of these reflection shots to prove and make the scene and create the character that was being shown.

The sound in this film is very natural I would say because the movie is very quiet. Most of the scenes  lacked in dialogue not exactly creating much. I disliked the lack of dialogue throughout the film but the music in the background created so much. Tense building up in the viewer, the scene in the elevator where Ryan pushes Irene to the side and the song "A Real Hero" starts to play sung by College Featuring Electric Youth. The lyrics of the song creates the scene and I believe expresses what Ryan is bound to do at that very moment getting ready to save the one he has a great interest in. Irene automatically speeds out of the elevator right after her intense, spotlight scene kiss with Ryan. As soon as she notices the dramatic fight that goes on in front of her eyes and the close-up with Ryan stomping on a mans face she speeds out in shock. The lighting of this one scene is a spotlight because it only focuses on the two characters at the moment and just when the lighting expands and allows the next character comes in, you can feel the presence of something bound to happen. I don't believe this scene was as realistic as it could have been. The way Ryan's foot drove down onto the mans face I felt not connection or relationship to realism. I felt as though the characters could have grunted a bit more and actually had an angle on the mans face as Ryan was stomping down.

The props in the film I believe created the characters and made them look more scary and intimidating. The way Ryan gripped his hands around a bat while wearing leather gloves in the scene where he was speaking on the phone with Albert Brooks who is one of the most powerful men in the movie. This scene created how intimidating the characters are meant be. The style of the characters and costumes they wore from Ryan being casual and ordinary to the big bad "Gangsters" of the film wearing professional clothing such as suits creating how powerful they can be or how to present themselves to the public. The environment in, which each of the characters are set in is very private yet very open. I wish why the director chose these setting for each Ryan and Albert individually. The way the director chose to create the film is very traditional. A typical person acting on an ordinary lifestyle but finds a great interest in one but ends up getting into trouble and having to face the consequences by having the one they care about get threatened in some way.

Ryan Gosling's character takes great interest in his neighbor and as he gets to know her a dramatic twist occurs her husband is returning home from prison. Throughout the movie the husband gets into some kind of trouble involving money and Ryan steps in to save the day but a big problem occurs and later on the husband is murdered and now Ryan is ready to step up to plate in order to protect Irene and her son no matter what the consequences and what dangers step in his way. He is ready to end this. This all ends when Ryan tells his friend to leave and never return in order to escape everything going on. His friend is then murdered in garage where Ryan works as a mechanic. Ryan goes after the men after he realizes his friend was just murdered and gets his revenge. He makes one last phone call to Irene and she answers but never speaks and Ryan feels like its to late that she will never forgive him so he hangs up and kills the "gangsters." He then drives off in the end and a back and forth shot between Irene and Ryan comes up where Irene is walking towards Ryan's apartment realizing that she will forgive him while he is driving off.

The main scenes that grabbed my attention throughout the film was the elevator scene when Ryan had stomped the guys face continuously. I felt this scene is important because it showed a sign of protecting and wanting between who he really was and what he was willing to do in oder to protect those he cared about. Another scene was when Ryan had first met Irene's husband he came off as intimidating. I felt this was important because a the saying goes "looks can be deceiving." I believe this is what his character did. When Ryan saw his close friend murdered in the garage emotion finally appeared in his eyes and the yearning for revenge came along. When Irene's car broke down at the grocery store this I feel is important because this is when their entire bond connected. In the end I don't think it was about him developing a relationship with the another human being but the fact of him continuing his relationship with driving. It all connected in the end with him driving off. I would say this all developed because of both of his careers his one career of driving for movies and another for illegal acts.

The most compelling scene of the movie as well connected to the storyline was the relationship between Ryan and his skill of driving. Not exactly his relationship with Irene because it was obvious thats where the story was heading. The storyline I felt was more compelling with his relationship. I felt as though it wasn't obvious that he was going to drive to off. It left the audience guessing and left everyone wondering if Ryan would randomly pop up behind Irene after she knocked on his apartment after no response. But no, nothing I felt this was the mystery and the continuing of his life and wondering if he would continue the same path except in another city/town. "Human Curiosity" is what filled the air at the end of the film.