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’”
I agree with Chad that the keyed-up grotesqueness of the violence was the film’s biggest drawback, but I very much liked it overall. Sleek, muscular filmmaking…
Loved the movie. Loved Albert Brooks. I wanted to see an entire story of his character. Loved the photography. I would put this in the top ten so far this year.
Violence. It was violent. I saw this tonight with my mom. I don’t have a boyfriend, so my mother and I went. She liked. She screamed at the violence but did enjoyed it for the sweet love story with no sex. I didn’t ask her about the titties, but I guess they were as pretty as the bright lights in that sequence.
I want Ryan Gosling to be nominated for this film. Fuck Academy taste! They don’t mind throwing those golden boys at women who shut the fuck up for the majority of a movie — maybe it’s plain old fashion sexism. I love Gosling and I will do what he says. CM, this is my first CM movie. I haven’t seen An Education, Money Never Sleeps, Never Let Me Go due to lack of interest. Good actress, she’s cuter than I remember from last year’s award season.
The cinematography, the sound design, the sound editing (the mix was beautiful), the editing, the directing, the minimalist art direction and costumes were all rock solid. Brooks was robbed of an Oscar in ’88 — he doesn’t deserve a nomination for this. Sorry, but no.
Drive is my favorite movie of the year until I see new Almodovar? Gosling is a sex god. This is the kind of movie one must experience in an actual movie theater.
saw it tonight, loved the movie. the music was amazing, ryan gosling having big year. that car chase seen was one il never forget. just a excellent well done and well directed movie.
I loved it! The direction, the editing and the cinematography were really good! I brought 5 friends with me and unfortunately I was the only one that really fell in love with it. (the same friends that liked the horrible Horrible Bosses :D so I don’t rely on their taste)
Also – the chemistry between Gosling and Mulligan was so obvious! They were charming! The acting was superb (fingers crossed for a nomination for Gosling)
I saw it again tonight (probably the first opening night movie for me since, I don’t know, Iron Man?). It’s just so pristine in so many ways.
I think complaining about “staring for an awkward amount of time” completely misses the brilliant chemistry and the unspoken dance going on. These are two beautiful, amazingly internalized performances. And Refn lingers on that, finding every hint of feeling and longing.
Chad: The violence is, I think, completely justified. The worst moment for most is likely the elevator, but we see passion on two completely different (and extreme) levels in that scene. And that’s the thing. I don’t think there’s anything “keyed-up” about it. It just is.
The kiss, well, that’s fully my take. I think it’s him savoring what he knows, in that moment, he’ll never have. He allows himself that internal interlude. But I bet Refn would say it actually happened. That’s the beauty of all this, though.
Brooks is fantastic. I think Oscar Isaacs does more with less (the slow dolly in on him at the party is just majestic), but I won’t take anything away from Brooks, who gives us a totally different version of something we’ve seen a thousand times.
I’ll admit two things. It begins to crawl at the start of the third act. And Perlman’s end was somehow not entirely satisfying.
But damn, what a film.
Absolutely loved it…
It was a film that lurked for lack of a better term. You could literally taste the tension in every scene. The opening was simply stunning and I don’t think there was any dialogue other then the radio and police scanner? Anyway, the beginning hooked me. The violence was a little over the top, but it somehow worked overall.
I was a little surprised to hear people in the thetre groan here and there at the end… one person said, “what was the point?” I guess not everyone “gets” film?
The acting was great though I never felt like Brooks was the force that everyone is pointing him out to be. Cranston was the best of the supporting roles, while Gosling exuded some sort of smug, that also led me to believe his backstory is too complicated to tell in a 1 and a half hour film.
Definitely one of the best films I’ve seen this year. Inventive, yet hauntingly familiar. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. Drive is one hell of a film, that certainly deserves some Oscar love.
I guess I know I loved it more than any other film this year because as soon as it was over I wanted to see it again. Like Aronofsky’s flick last year and others, I could tell from the opening frame that I had a director who knew exactly what he was doing.
I got clock at what point the big robbery happens, but I don’t see how people could be that bored. The film is 100 mins longer(30 mins shorter than Fast Five!!!) The first half is build up, and there’s plenty of moments that feature other characters if they don’t like Gosling and Mulligan’s glancing ways of communication. I suppose they might want awkward exposition or bad back story. But man when that robbery hits and it hits you hard the rest of the film has your heart ready to explode. Refn knows exactly what’s he doing. I’m sure many moviegoers will think his choices were not deliberate(use of brilliant silence in the action).
Having characters talk alot over cars going 90 miles per hour, while having as sassy partner or accomplice making idiotic comments with frantic camerawork and the cuts being 2 seconds is not entertainment. That is the delusional of entertainment.
So yea, loved this. Performances, writing, direction(oh my yes), cinematography, score, sound mixing, everything. Perfect. Gave me goosebumps.
I’m not nearly as severe as the rest of the public, but this movie has a C- CinemaScore. That’s atrocious; especially when the Sarah Jessica Parker movie has a B-.
I actually don’t remember the last film that has scored as low as C- recently.
This movie clearly isn’t being enjoyed by large portions of the move-going public. I find that sad because this is the TYPE of cinema that deserves praise/an audience.
But I repeat (from above) that I found myself underwhelmed, too. I’d prob give it a B- (for Gosling, Cranston, Perlman, cinematography, sound, score, car chase, violence).
I am one who couldn’t stand the pregnant pauses. I didn’t see/feel an ‘unspoken dance’. Just awkward silence. And there are tons of movies I love that have awkward silence/long build-up/insightful nuance/quiet character building chemistry, etc..
The romance was not subtle & sweet for me, just undernourished. Just too much of the film/plot felt undernourished to me, not lean (in a good way).
Most felt the film was poetic & stylish. I found it over-styled & ”okay, what am I missing, here?”.
Wish I could join the rest of you guys. :( But I DO acknowledge what I thought was good about the film. It’s the overall that just didn’t sit with me.
completely misses the brilliant chemistry and the unspoken dance going on.
It wasn’t a biggie to me that scene, but the scene where Standard says “let’s mommy talk to her friend” and then they just give each other a look was pretty much the same thing, but done a bit better.
Yeah Pearlman needed a chase or a straight blasting shootout before the crash.
I thought I replied earlier? Hmmm.
Nevertheless, “Drive” is basically perfect. It’s everything I think cinema can be and then a little bit more.
C-? Are you kidding? The gap between the viewing public and the critical eye is steeper than I thought…
I’m seeing it with a friend today. I dragged her into Tree of Life and she hated it. She loves violent movies, so maybe she’ll take to this more? The public reaction has surprised me somewhat. Clearly this move is much more of an “arthouse” film than I thought. Which is fine with me–I love that.
Thinking back I really loved the scene at the strip club, or wherever it was where Gosling brings the hammer. I like how he just starts sweating profusely once he hears Nino’s name and also how the women in the background are just sitting there watching. That scene had a very Kubrick feel to me.
I’m going out on a limb here and admitting to being one of the people who thinks the movie fell flat. The construction of the film is perfect: beautiful cinematography, excellent art direction, cool editing, a great ’80’s aesthetic.
But in the end the story was just too thin. Style will only take a movie so far in my book. Substance has to win any day, and longing gazes and suggestive glances just don’t make up for actual character development and a cohesive plot. I love what Refn was trying to do, and I see why it appeals to some people, but I still can’t help but feel that it was a noble failure.
I’m sure I would have loved this movie when I was 15, but at this point in my life I don’t have the luxury of surrounding myself with a ton of my closest friends and debating for hours stuff like “Personal theory… the elevator kiss wasn’t real!” (which I actually agree with, Kris). If a movie isn’t more or less self-contained and I don’t see it with the right people, then it doesn’t have that “lingering” effect that a film like this needs.
That’s just me though.
What I will say though, and I don’t know if this is just because I was already on the Brooks bandwagon before I saw the movie, but I think that Brooks really did give a great enough performance that he might be able to eek out a nomination. At first I was dismissing him, but then I realized how much he really did manage to achieve in such a minimalist movie. He’s the absolutely perfect foil to Gosling’s reluctant hero: The reluctant villain.
He’s the nice guy who’s inherently evil to counterbalance the nice guy who’s all good. He’s chatty and forthright where Gosling is reserved and guarded. Like Gosling, he only does what he believes he has to do, and he does it to get out of it what he values most.
In a weird alternate-dimension movie, he could almost be the hero–the washed-up 60-something with a new lease at life, finally able to realize his dreams that never materialized in his miserable, crime-filled existence. All he has to do is protect himself from the psychopath who’s wiping out all his criminal buddies in a lust-inspired rage over a white-trash waitress he banged.
Brooks managed to make his character feel almost weirdly, twistedly noble, all things considered. And he did it with not much to go on. Color me impressed.
So, my brief thoughts: Impressed at some things, but… meh.
Was absolutely delighted from the first frame. I’m surprised more comments didn’t mention the 70’s music. The choices were inspired. As far as the C-is concerned, I follow more reliable sources: Metacritic (the Drive Score of 80 is very high) and Rotten Tomatoes ( an exceptional 93). My thoughts for Oscar nominations: Gosling – Best Actor, Brooks – Best Supporting Actor, and Cinematography.
I loved this movie from start to finish. I’m actually listening to the soundtrack on headphones while I write this comment. I think it is pretty safe to say that this film will find a nice spot somewhere on my top 10 favorite films of the year. I think Albert Brooks will be lucky to snag a nomination for his role in this film – I think it would be totally deserving, but I immediately thought that this movie was so anti-Oscar and it was that much more brilliant b/c of it. In a perfect world, this would be up for best pic, best dir, best screenplay, best actor, best sup. actor, best cin, and best editing – which will never happen of course, but it’s nice to dream.
I must say, it has been a long time since September has consistently impressed with the back to back quality of “Hollywood” movies such as Contagion and Drive. Hopefully that trend can continue with the next three weekends in a row: Moneyball, 50/50, and Ides of March. Even if it doesn’t, that is still a really great run of films and I hope they are successful so that movie studios set out to make more of them in the future.
Overall, I am just so glad this film lived up to my expectations after reading so many great reviews. Such a brilliantly realized cinematic experience and a wonderful improvement on the work done on Bronson.
Ryan Gosling deserves an Academy Award nomination. The film is fucking perfect. ‘Nuff said.
Stylish badassery, cinema pure.
My top American flicks so far this year:
Drive
Higher Ground
50/50
Rise of the Planet of the Ages
Beginners
Tree of Life
(not in that order)
Weird group.
This has been a very good year for movies so far.
Matthew: I would have liked it even more if the women had better looking breasts. Those boob jobs were terrible.
Saw the film last night. Loved it, though not quite as much as most. I think that’s due to counter-productively bloated expectations and the guys in the theater loudly getting pumped for an action film.
So I restate that I loved the film, mostly because of what everyone involved brought to the table. The cast and Refn do so much to augment the script to become a more heightened experience. With a no-name cast and a no-name action director, this would’ve been blunt and bland shit. As it is, it’s beautifully realized film about a ton of people living in their own idealized worlds that crash into each other.
I loved every frame of this entire film.
I found it stunning in every sense of the word. Stunning in that it was beautiful. Stunning in that it shocked me. Stunning in that it sometimes felt like a scorpion had stung me.
I had known it was being marketed conventionally and it was all but conventional. I knew somehow there was a reason Refn had won best director at Cannes and I knew it would be part art house film. What I didn’t expect was the violence. And not only how graphic the violence was, but that most of it came from the Driver himself. His intensity, his anger and rawness made him the danger of the movie.
One thing I loved about it (among everything that I loved about it) was how daring it was to follow a character that we could barely know. His stoicism intrigued us, then reeled us in, and then the scene at the diner literally made all of the hairs on my arm stand up. The Driver isn’t just a morally questionable protagonist we’ve all come to know and love from the Hollywood Renaissance era, but as the music suggests, he literally was a cold blooded killer with no human connections in his life except for Irene and Benecio. And because his devotion to them was so gentle and pure, honest and selfless, he destroyed himself for it and didn’t even blink. And for some reason, after the overkill, the brutality…that makes us love him.
Wow. It just left me breathless. I was amazed at the pared down dialogue and how fearless Refn was to just let those silent moments hang and play out on his actors’ faces.
What more can I say? I loved every second of this art house-pulp-gangster-bloody-character study of a film.
My favorite of the year so far. I’ll fight tooth and nail in its favor.
I loved this movie. One of the best of the year. I wanna know why Driver still wore the mask while he killed Shannon. Maybe I wasn’t catching something, but that whole beach scene felt like it was missing something. Not like it was a let down, but it some ways it was. It was the least involving death scene. Looking at the way other people were killed in the movie, it just doesn’t fit when you look at the other ways people were killed. Standard was a shock, unexpected. So was Blanche’s. When Albert Brooks killed Shannon, it was sort of expected, but the way it was filmed was involving. One of the best sequences in the movie was the elevator, and I don’t need to tell you that it was memorable and involving. So why have a far off shot of Driver killing Shannon? Doesn’t fit. Is Refn trying to tell us that its an emotionless experience for Gosling? What’s the purpose of filming it like that?
Also found the names interesting. Albert Brooks is the only one with a first AND last name.
The beach scene seems to be the one people are most disappointed by, so I’ll just say that I loved the beach scene, right up until the end. The wrathful silhouette of the driver approaching as Ron Perlman runs desperately towards the water. It’s that removed and distanced ending shot of the scene that takes me out of it. One wishes that Refn had gotten closer. Other than that slight flaw, the scene is nearly flawless.
Beautiful summary, Air. Thank you.
Kris- Agree to disagree about the violence. At first I was willing to stomach it because Refn lingered equally on the emotional consequences of the violence, but at a certain point it became fetishistic and lost me. The most brilliant and effective death scene was the last one that took place entirely in shadows. More like that please.
The elevator kiss was a dream for sure. Driver can’t connect with people on an emotional level, so this was his big emotional release (that didn’t involve killing someone)
Of course, after that…
Ideal Oscar Noms:
Director – Nicolas Winding Refn
Actor – Ryan Gosling
Supp. Actor – Albert Brooks
Cinematography
Film Editing
Sound Mixing
Sound Editing
Best Picture is a maybe
This seems like the kind of movie that could have a lot of passionate support. Like lots of #1, #2 and #3 votes. It would be beyond awesome if the Academy went for it.
I haven’t seen the film, but I just noticed that one of the taglines they used for some of the posters is “There are no clean getaways”, which is exactly the same tagline that No Country For Old Men had. It’s not exactly a unique phrase or anything, but kinda lazy since it was a rather memorable tagline for said Best Picture winner.
Great Movie
Should Be in the running for
Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor (Brooks, through Cranston was greats here with his best movie role), Cinematography, Editing, and the sounds…
I don’t remember that tagline from No Country. hmm.
Big mistake on my last post. “I wanna know why driver still wore the mask while he killed NINO.” My bad. I also agree with Duncan. I liked where it was going until the end. You are no longer involved. And since the character is at a distance from us to begin with, why choose it to film that way.
Yeah, I knew that tag line sounded familiar. All of this talk about the elevator scene has got me thinking about whether or not that was all in his head. I definitely wanna check this movie out again soon.
I like what Cameron said: it was in his head because he would not have been able to do what he did (the kiss) emotionally in reality.
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To me the movie was a brilliant and refreshing take on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Why was the shadow death so “effective,” Chad? I actually thought that was somewhat contrived in the face of more matter-of-fact depictions throughout.
Graysmith: Yeah there was some discussion about that a while back. The marketing on this, in my opinion, has been a miss overall.
You know, though I am so-so on the film, as a whole (really liked various aspects) …
Dammit if I don’t want to see it again after reading all of these posts!
True to form (for me), I keep re-living moments and flashes of minor brilliance from the movie that make me question my own position on it.
Maybe it’s the nuanced performances, maybe the killings, maybe that SONG. Maybe the it’s the – as Kris puts it – enlivened discussion, here.
Whatever it is, methinks I’ll be giving this a second look. The romance did nothing for me yesterday. And that’s why I walked away shrugging. Maybe that’ll change for the next time ’round. No promises on the opinion change, though. We’ll see. haha
Pretty good. Don’t quite understand the effusive praise. It’s an unsettling, rather claustrophobic little mood thriller, but you’re left wondering at the end if we really needed to go through all the bloodshed to get some themes already explored in several other movies. Effective and efficient, I’d say, like Gosling’s character. But not a lot more in the way of substance.
@JJ1 Well at least it has a better Cinemascore than the American got last year when it came out (a D-).
Favorite film of the year so far for me easily. Did anyone else get a Halloween vibe from the beach scene at the end? Its the first thing I thought of when Driver started walking towards the water.
YES, Mark. I leaned over to my friend last night and said, ‘Halloween, much?’ haha.
Marko, interesting about ‘The American’. That score and this score for ‘Drive’ makes one thing CRYSTAL clear about the American public …
They don’t like what they thought they were paying for … and didn’t get.
I’m still too addled from my viewing this afternoon to organize my thoughts. However, as I left the theater, I remembered a friend saying after seeing the trailer: “I want to have sex with this movie.” Well, after actually seeing the movie, I’m pretty sure I want to have its babies.
Kris- It’s the only death scene that inspired me to look closer and harder at the depiction instead of inspiring me to look away.
Spoilers
Jesus Kris, did you actually want a torture scene with Perlman? Or everyone?
I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about the violence anf film in general, but for me, the quicker and less to-my-face (or whtever the phrase is) the death, the better.
And I really wanted Gosling to die. I find it silly for the movie o keep him alive. Not sure yet how to explain it but, really, was the movie afraid to kill its not-exactly hero? Everyone else with dirty hands died – why not him? (Unless he acually did)
And it seems people love the movie. Not only critics. 8.8/10 at imdb.
He lives because it’s more tragic that way. He’s got nowhere to go but to keep repeating his violent, criminal, loner lifestyle, perpetually stuck in his fatalistic nature.
IMDb users give anything with cool shots and guns a direct ticket to the top 250.