Review of Drive (2011) by Ajeesh V — 10 Aug 2015

Short synopsis: hell hath no fury like a driver scorned. Driver (Ryan Gosling) is a loner - working as a mechanic, movie stunt driver, and sometimes wheelman for criminals looking for a getaway set up by his boss Shannon (Bryan Cranston). When Shannon wants to expand his shop to include stock car racing, he turns to the local mob family for cash backing with Driver bahind the wheel. Meanwhile, Driver gets close to his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her yound son while her husband is incarcerated. In order to get him out of debt with the gang that protected him, Driver agrees to help Irene's husband rob a pawn shop. The heist doesn't go as planned, and Driver finds himself in deeper with the mob than intended.

Highly stylized, "Driver" is not your typical man on a vengeance flick. It is reminiscent of Michael Mann's "Heat" with the stripped down dialog and action of Steve McQueen in "Bullitt." It takes a good 20 minutes to really get into the thick of the plot. But if you hang in there, I promise you won't be disappointed. Surprise performances are handing in by Albert Brooks - the mob boss Bernie Rose - and Bryan Cranston (he was the dad in "Malcom in the Middle"). But Driver is the kind of character that's a rapid departure from some of Gosling's other notable roles, especially the ones that make the ladies swoon. He's a fatally flawed hero who chooses honor above personal gains. My final thoughts - who ever thought Gosling could be so hot and such a badass at the same time?