Drive
Welcome to Movie Night with Brandon, which is basically my excuse to discuss and review any film I feel like. Whether it's a brand new film or an older one, it's whatever I feel like doing. In this series, I won't be giving grades because I don't feel that they're necessary for this particular series. With all that out of the way, let's talk about some movies.
I first saw Drive when it came out in 2011, I was at first sort of disappointed. At the time I wasn't a fan of art house cinema and the advertising this film created sold an entirely different film. I didn't know who Nicolas Winding Refn was or had much interest in films that won awards at the Cannes Film Festival. In the last couple years however I became obsessed with art house film making and I rediscovered the film Drive. I saw it through completely different eyes and I fell in love with a film I had previously shrugged off as a bore fest.
The film Drive is exceptional from every angle of film making. The cast of the film is flawless and everyone handles their roles with reverence and extreme precision. Ryan Gosling, billed only as The Driver, gives in my opinion the best performance of his career as a stunt driver with a bit of a dark side who also does driving jobs for criminals. The way he conveys emotion and character motivations with very minimal dialogue perfectly encapsulates the character while subtly presenting his acting skills. Everyone else in the cast is excellent as well from Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad fame, the understated Albert Brooks, the always impressive Ron Perlman, and a pre-Star-Wars Oscar Issac.
While all the acting is exceptional in the film, the biggest proponent is Nicolas Winding Refn's direction. The visual story telling in this movie is on full blast and is constantly leaving the audience in awe. The film has a very sleek look with gorgeous cinematography and brilliant choices of shots/camera angles. Another amazing aspect to this film is the soundtrack. It introduced me to an entirely new genre of music that superbly fits into the world this movie creates. I have seen very few films with this much style and substance perfectly culminating to a beautiful picture in my lifetime.
I could talk about this film for hours, but I want to keep these reviews condensed. Overall this film is a genuine masterpiece and I recommend you seek it out immediately if you have yet to see it. Keep in mind that it's an art house film, not an action thriller with plenty of Hollywood stereotypes. It is a film that deserves your attention.
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