Lots has been written and spoken about “Drive” around these parts. Guy fell in love in Cannes. I hopped on board at Comic-Con. And now, it’s your turn to weigh in. The film opens nationwide today, and I imagine it’ll be a big priority for many of you. Come on back here when you get around to seeing it this weekend. We’d love to hear your thoughts.
Comments
178 responses to “Tell us what you thought of ‘Drive’”
Soooooo fucking good. If you’re not planning on seeing it, change your plans.
This movie couldn’t be cooler if Steve McQueen was in it.
Loved it! Was a little worried it was too built up in my head (I’ve been following it ever since production!), but it lived up to all the hype.
Totally got LA right, the syrupy sheen, the socioeconomic classes, a Clippers game! Only in LA do you hear about Clippers games!
I also love how parred down the script was. The opening conversation with Shannon and The Driver states so much about their relationship. Loved everyone in it. Cannot wait to see it again!
I. CAN. NOT. WAIT.
Saw an advanced screening last night…such a great experience. That opening sequence was so wonderfully shot; I was hooked from then on. Cinematography and writing were both the highlights for me; though I must say I really question the casting of Albert Brooks. Not exactly the best choice for the role, but I think he did a decent job nonetheless. So far it’s my top movie of the year.
Best movie of the year.
Frivolous nitpicks:
Could have used another car chase
Sometimes, a little too cool
Driver should have used a gun to kill Pearlman
I actually thought Albert Brooks was sensational and gave the best performance in the film. I just got back from seeing it, and I liked it quite a bit, although I could sense just about everyone else in my theater feeling pretty disappointed. When I walked out I overheard a couple of guys saying how slow they thought it was, that Gosling stared a lot and didn’t have to remember many lines, and that they wouldn’t recommend it. Go figure.
I really don’t get how anyone could call the movie slow. I’ve heard a few people say that and I just don’t understand it. What part of the movie was slow?
Yeah, aside from that one scene where he and Carey stare at each other for what goes on for an awkward amount of time, the movie is really fast moving.
Probably – okay assuredly – contains my favorite elevator scene of all-time.
No, but seriously, I can’t really say anything that anyone else hasn’t already said ad-nauseum sine May. It’s very tightly-wound, white-knuckle filmmaking, more of a thriller than an action film, but made with a precise, brutal punch that leaves a mark.
Albert Brooks is fun, but for me Gosling is the star here, come on, people.
As a crime film enthusiast, I responded to the way that Drive approached genre with a skewed angle. Every conversation finds rhythms and nuances that you don’t expect. And every action scene comes at you from a different direction. If you take these exact plot points, add in some more expositional dialogue, and put it in the hands of a more conventional director and more conventional actors, you get a boring, cliched piece of trash. But this film illustrates, more than many others, what a difference a director’s touch can make. The framing of shots and the movement of camera literally tell stories of themselves. Here, the cinematography is implicit in the narrative, not just an element to supplement it. A slap to the face or a clench of the fist says more than a monologue ever could. Absolutely loved it. But, Chris138, I heard similar complaints walking out of the theater. I’m not sure how audiences will respond.
The theater I saw it in today was filled with olds and they were groaning, I felt. One lady walked out during the bathroom scene. (I really don’t know if it was simply coincidental or if she was actively turned off by the violence.)
@Rob – Totally get you. The film’s fundamentals are pretty timeworn, but the thing is pushed along and carried by Refn’s subtle hands and his unique vision. I was surprised to see that there aren’t very many action scenes, but honestly, the film extracts tension from so many places it doesn’t need a ten-minute car chase to draw us in.
Can’t get this movie out of my head. Saw it three days ago. That’s the sign of something real. Gosling was great. If Albert Brooks doesn’t get a supporting actor award then all bets are off. Best movie so far this year.
Personal theory to run by everyone:
The elevator kiss happened in his head.
Thoughts?
Kris:
Yeah, if you take the kiss literally, it seems out of place considering the character’s admission right before the elevator and Irene’s reaction to it. Not to mention the fact that the kiss goes on a little too long in a tense situation (i.e. the third person in the elevator).
I find it very interesting that critics from the three biggest US cities all gave the film a negative review (New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune).
Loved it. Every minute of it. I’d love to see it again this weekend. It was so great. I just felt exhilarated afterwards.
Kris, I’d very curious to hear your take on the reviews Speaking English references above. I expected critical reaction to be somewhat divided, but I wasn’t expecting it to be almost universally praised except for several of the headline critics.
As for Gosling, I can’t help but delight in the fact that some audience members may be seeing the movie because of his turn in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Oh, boy, what a surprise Drive will be, probably not a good one for many of them! ha! And that is one of the reasons I love this guy. I just hope he keeps at the work pace he seems to have recently adopted. At this rate, he’s going to have a fascinating career.
@Kris – certainly makes sense given the dramatic lighting and music changes, and also that Gosling’s character would be putting himself at risk by doing it. Sound theory if you ask me.
The elevator kiss happened in his head.
I thought that was his way of moving her to the side without drawing attention.
Loved it from start to finish. Can’t wait to see it again. Unfortunately there was also a walkout and some groaning afterwards at my theater. Don’t understand how people aren’t loving this.
Well, I hate the be the first, but it kind of went over my head. Not in the literal sense. I just mean, it didn’t do anything for me. I felt nothing.
I saw the craftsmanship. I liked the music. L.A. looked great. The car chase was cool. The violence was probably my favorite part of the whole film.
But in all honesty, I just didn’t care. The story felt stale (even tough the filmmakers tried to make it fresh). Some of the plot points were murky. I didn’t understand (or want to) why the Gosling character was like he was. Why the stunt driving, why the mechanic work, why the mysterious nature, why the blunt violence?
I know many will say, ‘well, why not?’. But that’s just not good enough for me, as a viewer. And if he cared SO much about the Mulligan charcater & the son, I don’t know why he did some of the things he did in the final 10-15 minutes, or so.
Also, the slow-motion shots and awkward silences nearly killed me.
All that said, I’m quite sure I appreciated this film a lot more than anyone else in my theater. Disappointment was heard/felt everywhere. :(
Do what in the final 15 minutes? He tried to make it so that she’s safe for life, and did. The money is there, and the only people to know her are dead.
Yeah, what Gosling decides to do in the last 15 minutes is pure noir convention – take one for the girl. He’s saving her life!
Really, I meant – without going into big spoilers – the walk to the car trunk for the bag. Couldn’t he have done that differently? The outcome of that didn’t have to be that way.
I don’t know. Hey, I expected to and wanted to love this movie. I didn’t. I’m sad at that.
Loved it so much, I had to go see it again today. Warning- it’s not for the fainthearted. The previews make it seem like a studio action flick and it’s so much more brutal, superb, violent, and romantic than ANYTHING I have seen in the past few years. I went into the film knowing these things thanks to this site and other great film review sites but a few of my friends were nearly shitting their pants by the end of the film, having gone into it blindly.
Side note, I get the feeling that Refn is a bit of an asshole. Don’t get me wrong, the guy is a supremely talented filmmaker but he comes off so… smug… or rude.. or a combination of both in a lot of interviews that I have seen and read. Not the most approachable kind of guy… especially when he is seated next to Gosling. Any thoughts, people of this thread?
Hey Dana. Glad you liked it so much! What did your friends and others in the theater think? I read that the movie is doing slightly better business than they predicted, but I’m wondering if bad word of might cause a sharp drop off through the weekend.
A few of my friends were appalled by the violence but they were also the same ones who were convincing me to go see ‘I Don’t How She Does It’… so that’s that. The general consensus (including other theater goers who were in front of and behind me as we walked out) seemed to be very pleased. I didn’t hear anyone groan or see anyone walk out but there was A LOT of chatter when the credits rolled, as people immediately jumped into a discussion about the film (including the point Kris brought up a few entries above about the elevator kiss). I’m hoping it does solid business this weekend because it truly is the best thing in theaters and one of the best of the year.
Dana: He comes off, and looks like, a snotty version of Nolan.
A little story: I had very high expectations going into the movie, so high that there was nowhere to go but down. After it ended, I wasn’t really sure what to think.
The theater I went to is about a half hour from my house. So, on the drive home, I had the soundtrack blaring and it finally sank in that my high expectations were probably exceeded. Everything about it was just about perfect and meshed so well together. Maybe I’m still on a little adrenaline high, but I have to call it a masterpiece.
Dana Jones:
Refn in person is not exactly a charmer! I am Danish, so I can tell you (I have followed him throughout his career) that even when speaking in his native tongue he sounds smug and oddly detached, but it is mainly because he feels uncomfortable when interviewed, I guess. He is, at the end of the day, an anti-social nerd, living and breathing through the medium of movies.
He once appeared on a Danish talk show for five consecutive nights as a kind of fake “therapy session” talking about all of his insecurities and his real-life pain. It was excruciating TV, but brave in its own way. He cried on camera for several minutes.
All I’m saying; he is a weird guy in the way that he mixes total detachment with raw, unflinching honesty. The mark of a true artist, you may say…
Yeah, my take on Refn is that he’s not so much an asshole as a socially awkward, super intelligent brainiac guy who has spent most of his time watching movies and/or in his head.
Refn seems like a genuine and hilarious guy based on what I’ve seen (including a Q&A I attended at TIFF). I think things may get slightly lost in translation because his English isn’t 100%, but man he had the audience bursting with laughter during the intro and Q&A at TIFF.
SPOILERS:
While we’re discussing whether or not he really kissed her in the elevator, let’s discuss the ending. How did he survive a stab to the gut like that?
Overall, just wow. I loved it. That’s all I can say.
Right. ^
SPOILERS:
Does he die? Does he live? When she went to the apartment and he didn’t answer, is that some sort of clue that he doesn’t live? If he lives, where was he driving and why? How ‘could’ he live? etc.
I’m curious to hear the reactions, as well.
Thank you, Matthew Starr.
He doesn’t go back to her, because he can’t go back to her. It’s in both of their interests not to see each other anymore.
You can survive a gut stab easy. In fact, I was ready to call bullshit if he died right there so fast. I think he’ll live, go to a different state and do some jobs there.
I’m glad to know I can survive a gut stab easy but I hope to never put that to the test.
As of right now I am not 100% certain whether he lives or dies.
Also, he could go back to her. Like Albert Brooks says they were the last three players.
Hypnotic film. Best of the year so far. And I think he lived. That shot of him sitting in the car after the stabbing and finally blinking was an intentional “is he alive or not” tease from Refn.
good point, tony rock!
SPOILER: but wouldn’t it then make sense to go back for her? Or stick with the ‘we can’t be together’ angle?
Dana: He’s just Danish. ;)
Anyway, really happy to see this lighting up so much conversation from you guys. Awesome to go out with a bang with one of these, and I knew this film would get you all talking.
Awesome.
I thought it was amazing, I was surprised by how incredibly violent the film was. I think it was totally appropriate for the story and I wouldn’t change a frame of the movie, I just feel bad for people who see the hot pink poster and are side-swiped by how violent it is. I think the marketing is a little misleading.
@Rashad- I thought the exact same thing! Definitely a Christopher Nolan quality to him… same with his films.
Taxi Driver meets the American? Gosling’s solidified himself as one of the greats.
Ha! Kris. Just saw your tweet about the reviews from the three big cities.
I thought it was okay. A bit disappointed. And don’t get the Brooks love at all. Cranston and Oscar Isaac were both better in my eyes. I also thought the violence was unnecessarily grotesque, which is a huge turn off for me.
But I would say the elevator kiss was real.
I should have know it would be Chad who’d join me on the ‘it was okay, I’m disappointed’ train. haha
2 more things:
1) I hope the elevator scene was in his head. If not, eek. Awkward moment to kiss; brought attention to himself. And the slow-mo nearly did me in, there.
And 2) I also thought Cranston, Perlman, & Isaac were better than Albert Brooks.
Why is he getting all this buzz? Because it’s a ‘comeback’ role and he’s playing against-type? I found him nothing more than ‘good’.
In any case … I, too, am enjoying this very healthy discussion on ‘Drive’. :)
While Gosling’s performance was praiseworthy, as were certain sequences, I found the film as a whole too diffuse and lacking in storytelling verve. I also didn’t find Brooks to be a standout in the cast, much the same way I thought Kingsley’s performance in Sexy Beast bizarrely overrated.