PlotRyan Gosling is an unnamed driver - performing stunts on movie-sets during the day, and at night driving getaway for criminals. He becomes enmeshed in the fallout from a failed heist due to his 'relationship' with his pretty neighbour, Carey Mulligan, and her son. Hilarity ensues. I mean, revenge tale ensues.
Feelings about the film
Incredulous, angry, bemused. 1 star out of 5.
Good things
Yes, it was certainly directed with finesse. Calm, clean and stylised. It was a good looking film.
Bryan Cranston as the drivers' eager but downtrodden 'pimp'. Ron Perlman was excellent. The only believeable piece of casting, relishing his thuggery, and wearing his menace comfortably.
Bad things
Casting. Casey Mulligan as a white-trash single mum? Sorry no. Albert Brooks as mob? Even Gosling as someone likely to stomp a guy's face in? Me thinks not. Rather than find these choices arty and challenging, I just thought they were bad. I love me some Ryan Gosling as much as the next person, which seems to be everyone at the moment, but even his angsty look-off-in-the-distance troubled-hero expression seemed hokey, and frankly, half-arsed. A quick perusal of the intramanet tells me most people thought the cast was superb and smart - playing against type and all that. For me, I thought the casting choices were ridiculous.
Cinematography. I know I said it looked good, but it just tried so damn hard even this pissed me off. Yes film school graduate, we get that you can set a shot and light it well - now what?!
Sound. Melons being hit with a baseball bat, really could the Foley artists have been any more over the top. And the soundtrack! One 80's electro-synth on repeat....he's a 'human man', we get it.
The Mask. WTF?! An afterthought defying logic, maybe to remind us he is supposed to be a Hollywood stunt driver?
And where did they dredge that Paintshop font from used in the main titles (Mistral for my two readers)? So try-hard retro-chic. Much like Gosling's wardrobe during the film: satin scorpion embroidered jacket slung over skinny jeans, and Italian leather slim-fit boots....it's all just style over substance. Cool for cools sake. I would have thought a pair of Adidas tracksuit pants ... and a different face .... would have been more appropriate.
Story.
And all these problems are rendered impotent against the most significent flaw of this film which is that it is not a film. Artfully composed shots strung together does not a film make. Rather it is a messy hodge-podge of clumsy self-aware scenes with no discernible plot or characters. Really this should just be a pop video. Before the gore-porn started, I was merely bored. After the failed heist, I was pissed off. Man, this was a crap film. Made even more appalling because everyone seems so pleased with it - four and five star reviews everywhere. What did I miss?? Because the film I saw could have been written - and story-boarded - on a postage stamp. Nothing happened, except periodic bursts of violence - which only kicked in about an hour into the 'film'. And there was even less dialogue, unless you call swiveling a toothpick whilst clenching your jaw dialogue.
So to summarise the bad points. Everything.
Perhaps the point I missed was that this was a satire? Was Drive a big joke?
