A person with no emotions, no name and no signs of a personal life is what best describes the main character in the action thriller “Drive,” a film which only positives are well-orchestrated and beautifully shot chase scenes that cause a massive adrenaline rush.
This is one of those films that had the potential to unveil a clever story line, but fails tremendously as the plot seemed to go off course, and lose focus. Although this filmed contains a tremendous cast, with Ryan Gosling {“Ides of Marchâ€}, Bryan Cranston, Ron Pearlman and Albert Brooks, the acting was spotty and characters other than Gosling had limited roles.
Gosling plays The Driver and works as a Hollywood stunt driver by day and a getaway driver for criminals by night. His mentor and boss, Shannon, played by Cranston, is a down and out body shop owner and provides him with the cars for each heist. The driver doesn’t plan any of the details about the heist and doesn’t carry a gun. He simply drives. He gives his clients a five-minute window to complete the job. If they do not get to the car within five minutes, he ends the job and drives off. Those are his rules. If they get the job done on time, he guarantees them a safe getaway.
Things get complicated when The Driver gets involved with an attractive young woman with a shady past. If it sounds cliche- it is. The fast and furious chase scenes end up playing second fiddle to the mediocre melodrama. Gosling has proven in other films that he can act, but the script never allows him to show any semblance of charisma or real emotion.
He’s a great driver, but little else.
Because of this, Gosling’s acting was extremely frustrating at times. His calm and no emotion persona was a bit much and exaggerated throughout the film. It seems that a role for an actor of that caliber does not work. His lines were limited and sometimes hard to understand because he was very soft spoken.
Overall this film was a huge letdown. Although “Drive†took place in present time, the cheesy music caused to mood to have an ’80s feel to it as each scene involving Gosling driving took place. Some scenes will remind you of Grand Theft Auto, when The Driver constantly escapes the police during his heists.
The climax to the film was disappointing to say the least, just like driving with a car with flat tires. Instead of leaving skid marks on your imagination, this film ultimately ends up not being worth driving to the theater to go see.
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