Drive is adapted from a novel by James Sallis but it wouldn’t have surprised me if it had been based on a video game. With its focus on action, minimalist dialogue and car chase sequences, it is tailor-made for the joystick generation.
Ryan Gosling is perfectly cast as the man with no name and as strong and silent as Clint Eastwood in a spaghetti western. He plays a mechanic and a part-time movie stunt driver who moonlights as a the go to guy when you need a fast getaway from the scene of a crime.
The thrilling opening scene shows what he can do behind the wheel of a fast car, outwitting the police with ease. Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn shoots the scenes from his perspective so you get a point of view effect of being in the car with him (another feature that would easily transfer to a video game).
When he’s on these jobs he is unarmed and for half of the movie he seems like a white knight in a silver bomber jacket who can handle himself without resorting to violence. Continue reading
