DRIVE (2011)

I'll start with this:  Drive is the most classically written film I've watched in a long time.

Driver (Ryan Gosling) is a young, quiet, unassuming man.  He works part-time as an incredible Hollywood stunt driver and the rest of the time he works as a car mechanic.  Driver has also dabbled in get-away driving for heists.  Driver meets Irene (Carey Mulligan), single mother to a little boy.  They become friends.  There's chemistry.  But then Irene isn't so single after all.  Her husband's coming home from prison.  Cue bittersweet celebration.  It's not long before Driver learns from Irene's husband that he's in big trouble with some seriously notorious thugs set on harming his family.  Over Driver's dead body is any harm going to befall Irene and her little boy.  Driver offers the husband his help.  That's when the fan gets hit and Driver finds himself entangled in a bloody mess that takes the length of the film to clean.

Dear Mr. Gosling, 

  Officially, you are one of my top five actors today, and it has absolutely nothing to do with your looks, which pale in comparison to your performances, and especially this one.  Feel special.

Yours Truly.

I keep trying to think of any other actor who could have played this lead role just as well.  I can honestly think of no one.  Gosling's performance is just so, so still, so steady, so deliberate and so incredibly unnerving in the best way possible.  Every single movement, every single look, every single word is made with such intention the tension is palpable.  Yes, palpable. 

Drive I label as classically written because, well, it reminds me of the classics.  (I fail in that I can't remember specific titles.)  I know I've always liked westerns because of the protagonist's propulsion to selfless acts, albeit usually to save some pretty widow with children, or the occasional pretty nun.  Well, Driver is doubly propelled; to protect and to avenge.  But having the selfless and heroic protagonist is only half of the classic equation.  The other half is the stillness of the selfless and heroic protagonist.  Eastwood did it oh so well.  Gosling does it oh, oh, ooh so well.

Enough with the young goose.

With high marks for the writing, acting, directing and the soundtrack, only one question lingers:  What in the world happened to Driver to make him so mean?  The only possible explanation, in my mind, is that very annoying aliens landed at his middle school, stole his lunch money, got on his bus after school and threw books at him from the back seats, teased him on the walk home, killed his hamsters, ate his McDonalds happy meal dinner, got him in trouble with his mom, who decided to keep the aliens and board her son on the spaceship for a one way trip to the alien world's equivalent of Alcatraz, where he chipped his way out through a stone tunnel, for twenty long, long years, using a ballpoint pen.

WARNING!  There are some horrific acts of violence in Drive.  Personally I didn't see any of them, because I covered my eyes and part of my ears as best as I could.  However, what sounds I did hear in addition to the collective gasp from the audience were enough to give me an idea.

Me:                 Can we go home?  It's okay.  I'll read the script for what's left of the movie. 

Sister:            This is all your fault!  I just wanted to see monkeys take over the world!

Me (crying):  I'm sorry!  Let's go.  Can we go?  Please let's go.

Sister:            I don't walk out of movies!  Stop covering your eyes!  You're going to suffer with me!

Now the violence isn't written throughout the movie, and in fact starts a good way into the film, and is only in about three scenes.  The scenes, however, are very, very violent.  Gratuitous?  Yes.  Necessary?  Possibly.  Should you stomach it for the story?  Just cover your eyes!

If you want to be in awe of a fantastic performance watch this film.  If you want to be part of a thrilling experience that may or may not have the all too rare happy ending, definitely watch this film.

It's an A+