DRIVE Discussion

Michael Mann & Tangerine Dream should sue.  Third act is crap.  Loses the thread starting with the elevator sequence and doesn't recover.  Watch Thief instead.

Awesome Christina Hendricks banner for DRIVE.

Looking forward to this when it opens in Asia.

Masterpiece. Seen it twice, currently challenging TREE OF LIFE for my favorite/best of the year. The neon fatalism mixed with courtly love makes it its own thing.

It's the fucking goods.

http://www.chud.com/66968/tag-team-review-drive/

This was so self-indulgent. The music. The pacing. The American Gigolo-like fetishizing of Gosling's look and posture.

Loved it. Big time.

This movie is SO FUCKING COOL.

No kidding on the Gigolo fetishizing of Gosling.  It should be totally laughable, but every time he's on-screen, I want his babies.

Also, Gosling's foot = fire-extinguisher.

You could feel the whole mood in the theater change the moment

That's precisely the moment when people started looking at each other thinking "wait, so this isnt a fall in love / one last jobs / get the girl at the end kind of action movie?"

Deleted spoiler text since it's not hidden when you hover the mouse pointer over the thread.

Holy so fucking good. I got out of it two hours ago and I'm still amped. I'd had an aching hard-on to see it for weeks and it still exceeded my expectations. There's an elegant simplicity to it, not just in its stripped down ultra-sleek coolness, but from the coursing vein of raw emotion running below its surface; it's a love story, with the big, clearly defined emotional stakes and character motivations that implies. But it's a love story where the intensity of the emotions is expressed via bursts of ultraviolence, and everything else is seething tension and Jean Pierre Melville understated badass coolness and neon Michael Mann atmosphere. AND ALBERT BROOKS PLAYS A SCARY JEWISH MOBSTER WHO KILLS PEOPLE WITH KNIVES.  Yes, masterpiece is the right word. Easily one of the best things I've seen all year.

Also, this movie reminds me of PUNCH DRUNK LOVE

That's SO weird that you mention that, because that lovely moment in the elevator reminded me of PT Anderson's choices in Punch Drunk Love!!!!!!  No joke.  I was thinking about that after the movie.

But now that I read your post, I realize that the whole movie is kind of... that!

This was really, really good. One more great car sequence and I'd call it a masterpiece. 

While one more might have been the cherry on top, I don't know that the movie really needs it. It's not really about that stuff, despite what the basic premise suggests. I guess the closest I came to feeling that way as I was watching was wanting him to toy with Ron Perleman in his car for maybe a few more seconds in that scene on the road by the beach, although it's already awesome enough that he basically turns into Michael Myers for a few minutes there, and after he tagged them and Perlman's driver got out the thought that ran through my head was "He (or his car) is the shark from JAWS right now!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sebastian OB 

This was really, really good. One more great car sequence and I'd call it a masterpiece. 

Agreed. That's what my friends and I were talking about after we left the theater. We wanted just ONE more car sequence. I wish a chase could've played a part in the climax.

Goddamn what a great movie.  I'll most likely be seeing this again tomorrow.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Closer 

You could feel the whole mood in the theater change the moment

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

 

That's precisely the moment when people started looking at each other thinking "wait, so this isnt a fall in love / one last jobs / get the girl at the end kind of action movie?"

Oh god, I remember the entire audience gasping right before it happens.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bernard Quatermass 

Michael Mann & Tangerine Dream should sue.  Third act is crap.  Loses the thread starting with the elevator sequence and doesn't recover.  Watch Thief instead.

While I agree to watch THIEF instead (I'm a Michael Mann disciple,) I loved the fuck out of this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshua Miller 

Agreed. That's what my friends and I were talking about after we left the theater. We wanted just ONE more car sequence. I wish a chase could've played a part in the climax.

Huh... I didn't think that at all.  If it were a more conventional revenge thriller, sure.  But that thought never came to mind while I watched the film.

As of right now, this is my pick for best movie of the year.  Everything about it clicked for me, and I left the theater feeling exhilarated by what I had just seen.  This movie embodies everything I love about movies, and Refn now has a permanent spot in my list of the top directors (not that he didn't after Pusher, Bronson, and Valhalla Rising, but this totally cemented it).  Also, I'd never seen Ryan Gosling in anything before, but now I'm harboring a bit of a man-crush on him.  He's totally convincing as a stoic, steely-eyed bad ass, and really had an amazing presence in this movie.  The entire cast was great, though, and they really sold the throwback vibe of the film.  I loved Refn's use of lighting and sound, especially during that sequence on the beach.  After that, I would totally love to see him direct a horror movie, because that one scene had more tension and palpable dread than a dozen horror flicks of the last 10 years or so.  I loved this one, and really can't wait to see what Refn has in store next.

It IS about the cars. It's about a man who has become such a machine (I felt like in the beginning Gosling was channeling the Terminator) that he cannot relate to humans. His skill with cars is the metaphor and the central theme.

A fine, fine film.

Albert Brooks was downright stunning. What I love about him is he actually seems like a reasonable guy most of the way, the good crook to Pearlman's bad crook. So to end up having him be the one doing most of the "cleaning up" makes him all the more menacing.

If I had one complaint it would be I wish Gosling had been more brooding. Lotta scenes where there was room for additional brood and he just wasn't giving me the amount of brood I needed. So yeah an increase in brood would have hit the spot.

Great.  Now I have no idea what brood means!

I saw this with a mostly unappreciative audience. They didn't know what the fuck to make of it by the time it was over. Despite being blown away in the theater, I still find moments creeping up on me from the film. Brooks and Cranston killed it. The pink cursive credits, the score, the ultra-violence. Awesome.

I have not been able to get "A Real Hero" by College out of my head since I saw it. Loved this movie.

Just bought the soundtrack because...damnit, I needed it.

Seems like most audiences aren't big fans of this.  Drive only got a C- Cinemascore...

Wish I liked this more. I'm on the outside looking in with this one, as with a lot of Michael Mann films, especially Heat. That sort of stoic, stylish weltschmerz just doesn't do it for me for some reason.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sebastian OB 

It IS about the cars. It's about a man who has become such a machine (I felt like in the beginning Gosling was channeling the Terminator) that he cannot relate to humans. His skill with cars is the metaphor and the central theme.

My thought on Driver's quiet social skills and lack of emotion in the first half of the film is that he had a pretty violent past prior to getting a job with Shannon.  He tries to keep his emotions bottled up so he doesn't let his inner monster loose.  I think he responds harshly to one of his prior clients in the diner scene, because

Then in the hotel room,

I think this is another sign of him losing it, and I love how the shot shows him slowly moving backwards, disappearing from the camera (indicating his calm and happy existence - and possibly his sanity- have disappeared).

The hammer scene, the elevator scene, and the stunt (or creepy slasher) mask scene all reveal Driver is a psychotic monster, who's trying to be a good guy.  I can almost imagine that Gosling's character was a serial killer or psychotic hit man prior to being hired by Shannon

Words can not describe how much I love this movie.  The music, lighting, dialogue, cinematography, performances, and pacing are all just amazing in my opinion.  I've seen it twice now, and can't wait to watch it again (although I'll probably delay a third viewing until it comes out on blu-ray so I don't get burnt out on it).

BTW, the soundtrack for the movie is on sale on amazon right now for $7.99.

I think most of what you are saying is right, but I don't think the Driver's backstory matters. You know he is a man who knows violence, and who is re-discovering what it means to be "a real human being, and a real hero". It's all in the song really. That scene in the diner is there to tell to you that whatever he was, he's different now, and doesn't want to go back.

Great movie, really sticking with me. Soundtrack of the year no doubt.

Brilliant fucking movie and an iconic role for Gosling, so its unfortunate this was paired with one of the worst cinema experiences I've had in recent memory. In hindsight, stupid to go to any movie at 11:35 on a Saturday, and I knew I was in trouble when 80% of the audience was either wearing a baseball hat or sweatpants (or both). Laughing, talking, and in one moment that's still giving me a headache, a very nasally question from a teenage girl in the back as to "why are these scenes so long!?" The second time I've ever told someone to shut up at a movie. As good this movie is, and as much as it deserves to be a hit (and push Refn and Goslign into the mainstream), I can't help but think this thing is going to take a bath at the box office. What really gets me is that this isn't some pretentious arthouse fair or overwrought melodrama. It's a lean, violent revenge flick that I think is going to be crucified by a lot of audience members because it isn't Crank 2. I wish this movie the best of luck and hope they make gazillions, but goddamn this was one to see without an audience.

EDIT: For the record though, I do love me some Crank 2.

Splatoon I feel your pain, I caught it Friday evening and my enthusiasm was eclipsed for my outright hatred of the audience I was stuck with. They couldn't make it past the opening titles before they started checking their stupid shit. (Cause the opening titles are the boring part right?). For once I told them to shut it off. One of my friend couldn't take it and left (Which I know is a great movie sin but he'd seen it the day before and had to endure a lady texting 3 rows down)

Exiting the theatre people were struck by how a movie could be "So boring until the head stomping" and how little talking there was. Coming from the cities most well known independent art house theatre it made me exceptionally angry. I'm hopeful that word of mouth puts this over. A good majority of friends have said they'd see it again in a heartbeat, something I plan on doing since the sound system didn't really deliver how ferocious this movie is.

Yep, my audience wasn't ideal either--not terrible, but you could tell they were pretty impatient and, oddly, put off by the violence. Had some walkouts.

Part of me wants to just love the movie out of spite, but I think it falls short of greatness. As people have said, it's missing at least one driving sequence, which is odd, because I thought they were setting up a perfectly good climactic chase--Albert Brooks sending goons to kill Carey Mulligan, and the Driver (possibly bleeding to death at that point) having to outrace them. And Perlman's death was surprisingly perfunctory from a vehicular POV.

I hate to sound like one of those goons who complained about the lack of a final shootout in No Country For Old Men, but I think this is a different animal--it is, at the end of the day, pulp, and more, cars and driving are such an essential metaphor and piece of Driver's characterization that having the climax be a stabbing in a Chinese restaurant parking lot can't help but feel like the movie has lost its way a little.

The 'one more car chase' sentiment surprises me.  Mostly because it seems like a complaint that I would be making.  But I NEVER felt that way while wrapped up in this film.  And I still can't really understand it.  Everything felt so right.

I don't know if "one more car chase" is really the sentiment, it's more that the climax could have been tied back into the car theme better. The movie knows that it all comes back to the car; it's why the money is in the trunk. I just don't know if two guys stabbing each other (as great as that was) in the parking lot is the most graceful of choices when it comes to tying the movie together thematically. Am I making sense?

The denouement however was perfect.

It's the MO of a driver and a stabby-guy meeting together halfway!  Hahahaha

One thing I love the film for... it took my immediate suspicion of Standard and turned it around into a character I was legitimately sad to see go.  I was even sad that Albert Brooks wouldn't get to see his investment in racing take off.  He was REALLY looking forward to it!

Yeah, Sebastian's got it. It's a thematic problem. In the early going, literally everything is tied to the car and driving. He takes Carey out for a drive to court her. He sees the thugs beating up Standard, and thus gets involved in the crime, while driving past them. Driving is what he does. Then by the end he's just sort of hanging around next to cars.

The movie might be about the redemption of a monster (or is it? He seemed to do more backsliding into becoming a violent monster than he did redeeming himself) but it's done in the context of a movie about action and car chases. And early on, those two elements are beautifully integrated. I don't mind shifts in tone, but it kinda seemed like the plot and the subject matter went their separate ways after Perlman gets cacked.

It's kind of like, if you're watching a musical, and the last fifteen minutes are devoid of music, isn't that kind of a failure of the movie, no matter how appropriate it is thematically?

Though again, maybe I'm being hypocritical here, because I defend No Country For Old Men all the time, and that has a similar thing where it's a great action movie for most of the running time, then completely bails on action for the last act. But that felt more daring and thematically justified than this movie. The final shot is still him driving. It's not like "not driving" becomes a motif.

But if the cars and driving are about him being like a machine and not connecting to other human beings, it makes sense it would become less prominent as he starts to connect (or feel like he's connecting) to Irene, and the consequence is he's forced out of his comfort zone. The very end is him driving again because he's retreated back inward.

The logic (Prankster's and OB's) is sound, but it's very hard for me to argue for or against it since I never felt anything lacking by the end.  After taking out Perlman, it feels like another car beat would've felt repetitive, particularly for a final conflict that should feel different from what came before.

Is this Refn merely playing with an audience's expectations of genre conventions?  Or did he just play things out in a straight line?

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Prankster 

In the early going, literally everything is tied to the car and driving. He takes Carey out for a drive to court her. He sees the thugs beating up Standard, and thus gets involved in the crime, while driving past them. Driving is what he does. Then by the end he's just sort of hanging around next to cars.

 

The movie might be about the redemption of a monster (or is it? He seemed to do more backsliding into becoming a violent monster than he did redeeming himself) but it's done in the context of a movie about action and car chases. And early on, those two elements are beautifully integrated. I don't mind shifts in tone, but it kinda seemed like the plot and the subject matter went their separate ways after Perlman gets cacked.

 

It's kind of like, if you're watching a musical, and the last fifteen minutes are devoid of music, isn't that kind of a failure of the movie, no matter how appropriate it is thematically?

The way I see it, Nino's death was the climax of the movie car wise, and everything after was the denouement. Even then, the car played a role in that it's where Driver and Bernie meet for the final time and Driver drives away bleeding out. But Nino was the aggressor and Bernie and Driver were simply reacting to the chaos he instigated. Their final meeting had to be a short, understated resolution between two guys who were swept up into this situation and wanted it over. The movie supports this by having Driver don the stunt mask for the big final sequence of killing the guy who had been terrorizing his mentor and girlfriend, etc. After it's over, he takes the mask off and he places a phone call to wrap things up. His knowing smile while talking to Bernie shows he knows his film is over.

Had there been another car chase involving Bernie sicking (siccing?) his goons on him and Irene, it would have felt completely out of place in my opinion. I just don't see it as that sort of movie - it's giving us what it thinks we want, not what WE think we want, if that makes any sense. Everything else about the film was so self-assured and deliberate, a final chase would have felt a bit like a pander. Plus I would never want to trade that shot of their shadows on the asphalt (itself a satisfying cap to the driving themes in the film) for anything. I respect the movie for this reason and even a few days later, cannot get it out of my mind.

I think those are legitimate criticisms, though I loved the movie so much that it doesn't take really lessen it for me.

My audience was also full of idiots. One guy, sitting in front of us, reacting with legitamte surprise and awe at the more visceral scenes, and still loudly saying he wanted his money back after the film. Stupid group behind me on the way out saying that the soundtrack was awful (I agree with whoever said it was, far and aware, soundtrack of the year), and then an old guy one hte way out of the theater who asked us if we hated it as much as he did. To which I told him, no, we didn't. But then we don't have terrible taste.

Anyway, Albert Brooks for the fucking win.

We caught the 2:40 showing in a mostly empty theater today. After being told by a lot of people that it was amazing, I was expecting it to blow what's left of the hair on my head off, and it did for the most part, but we both didn't really like the long takes (mostly by the scenes where Gosling and Mulligan do nothing but stare at each other), she was even wondering why they didn't just do it.

Really dug Perlman and Brooks. Perlman for the most part, especially when he mentions being 59 and still having his cheeks pinched by the Italians like a kid. The music was amazing, and Gosling was awesome. I was prepared for the slow burn, and then when the action got brutal, it got BRUTAL. Kind of wish there had been more of that.

Also I can't be the only one thinking that mask looked like Jason Statham. I kept expecting Gosling to talk and sound like him.

I give it an 8, and she told me she was giving it a 5 for the music, but lack of romance between Gosling and Mulligan. Really wish I'd have loved it, but I'm open to revisiting it once it hits disc, and I'm already thinking that I'll enjoy it more.

I kinda want somebody to rescore this movie (blasphemy!!!) with the soundtrack for Punch Drunk Love.  I think it'd work!

The song from POPEYE would certainly add a new dimension to the elevator sequence.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rene (Mr.Eko) 

 

but lack of romance between Gosling and Mulligan. 

I keep hearing this, and I can't help but think how wrong that statement is.  Gosling and Mulligan say more about how they feel towards each other with how they look at each other then they ever could by simply speaking.  It really is a shame that more people can't seem to appreciate that fact and need useless lines of dialogue to show that two characters are in love.

Now, Why don't they just fuck each other if they're so in love?  Two reasons:

1. I get the impression from the film that Driver has no idea how to handle a woman, which is ironic since he's a handsome dude.

2. Mulligan has a lot on her plate.  Not only does she have to raise a son on her own, but also has a husband that's in jail.

These are two people that are clearly attracted to each other, yet are too afraid to act on their feelings.