Thursday, January 26, 2012

Drive [2011]

Yeah, haven't seen this tag in a while have you? Nevertheless, here's a movie for ya.

Drive was an odd one for me. As a whole it came across as slow, meditative; qualities I really like in my movies, man. Ryan Gosling played his stone-face character very well and the delicate romance he built up with Carey Mulligan worked, too. Opinions on that are mixed but I liked it. Granted, they didn't really have much of what you'd call 'chemistry' but I feel like that was fine. You know or should expect that our boy wasn't going to end the film driving off into a sunset with his girl. The piece just doesn't have enough sunshine in it for that to happen. It doesn't end tragic but it's no Disney either. And that is no insult.

The odd thing is that, despite possessing all these plus points in my book, I wouldn't go so far as to say I really like this movie. Yeah. Strange. It almost seems tailor made for me in some ways. Driver (he has no name) seldom spoke, something I love in my characters, dunno why. He kicks some serious ass without seeming like he has a character shield on. (TV Trope yourself a little if you are unfamiliar with that term.) And yet, my enjoyment of the film never rose any higher than the bar set by the opening sequence, which was amazing by the way.
Check it out:



Again, that's not to say the film was bad by any means. That was a high bar.

8 comments:

  1. I agree, the rest of the film does feel kind of subdued after that intense opening. But this scene and the later elevator sequence are so well done, especially compared to anything I've seen in a recent Hollywood film, that I can forgive some of the unoriginal plot and character aspects.

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  2. Yeah that initial scene.. it really sets a bar. I have a friend who disliked the movie just because that bar was high and the rest of the movie slowed from there. I still liked it myself, but yeah, a lot of people like it much more than I did.

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  3. That start does now make me want to watch the rest. There is something to be said about silent protagonists. I don't think I've ever really seen a movie that has one though.

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    1. 3-Iron. (Korean film) Or Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name.

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  4. I've seen this movie and I was like? oh my gosh. fail :(

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    Replies
    1. Aww. Not enough emotion? Not enough action? Not enough acting?

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