Adding to the excitement is the fact that the director has
been known up to now as a purveyor of silly exploitation cinema. Imagine a
director making "Conan the Barbarian" one year and "The
Hours" the next. That's the kind of hairpin turn that Refn has pulled off.
Typically a filmmaker is either an art director or a genre director. Refn
refuses to choose between them, which is thrilling.
In this sense, Refn calls to mind Quentin Tarantino. But
whereas Tarantino seems mostly to be having goofy fun, Refn is dark and heavy.
"Drive" is set in Los Angeles, capturing the dark
underbelly of that infinitely interesting city. The penetration into the heart
of L.A. is reminiscent of David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive," a film
that might have been to some degree a model for "Drive." The
similarity in the titles is perhaps deliberate. Seeing the two films at a
late-night double feature in Los Angeles would no doubt be dazzling. After the
screening, one could drive through L.A. in a convertible in the dead of night,
drinking in the city's mysterious power. Cinephile paradise. (I am one of the
rare New Yorkers who has a great appreciation for L.A.)
*****************************************
In "Drive," Ryan Gosling plays a man who by day
works in the movies as a stunt driver and by night works as a getaway driver
for big-time criminals. In the film's gripping opening sequence, we watch as
Gosling's character struggles to elude police when a heist unravels. Refn is
uniquely able to capture danger and make the audience feel it in their bones.
The man falls for his neighbor (played with deep, quiet
feeling by Carey Mulligan). She is raising her five-year-old son on her own
while her husband finishes a prison sentence. One of the tenderest aspects of
the film is the relationship that builds between Gosling's character and the
boy. Refn films this beautifully.
A secret to the film's success is how well it captures the
vulnerability of the boy and the strong protective feelings triggered in
Gosling's character. I was shaken on several occasions contemplating the fate
of this boy and wanting to protect him myself. I'm sure every man in the
audience will feel his fatherly heartstrings tugged in this way.
Things become very complicated when the boy's Dad gets out
of prison and comes home. An even more difficult round of complications ensues
when Gosling and the ex-con end up in a heist together, which then ends
tragically and with a mysterious double-cross. The second half of the film
centers on Gosling's trying to get to the root of the double-cross. But his
biggest concern is protecting the boy and his mother, who become endangered.
The kingpins behind the double-cross are ruthless (one of
them is spectacularly well played by Albert Brooks), and Refn pulls no punches
in the depiction of their ferocity. The film becomes in the end ultra-violent.
At times, the violence goes over the top, giving the film a cartoon-ish aspect.
But for the most part, the film stays grounded to tell its brutal, tragic
story.
Predictions: "Drive" will score a Best Picture and
Best Director Oscar nomination and win at least one of them. "Drive"
will also become a classic, watched over and over for decades. In fact, I think
it will become a touchstone, defining 2011 in many people's memories. You will
be telling your grandchildren that you saw "Drive" in its original
release. They will find this very cool.
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