Drive

In just a short period of time Ryan Gosling blasts out another great performance; I mean, this guy can deliver. And this entire movie delivers, right there. Of course, I had no idea it was coming out, and no idea at the level of quality to expect. When you first see the title, and perhaps the poster, you begin to formulate what you think the movie will be, and that's basically a heist film centering around Gosling as the driver. Well, that is only partially true, as the film opens up with exactly that. But you get the distinct impression that this is a bit different.

Gosling is a loner, who knows how to drive. He's a rock star of driving, but still keeps to himself. His character's primary job is as a stunt driver, but gets involved in anything that requires the fine precision skill required behind the wheel. So the movie wasn't a series of heists, which was great. We get a love story with virtually no talking: when Gosling's character speaks, it has that much more weight. Every move is meaningful, every gesture, and it's fantastic. There are great performances from everyone involved, and the gore, oh my, the gore. This, I was definitely not expecting. Drive kicks it up a notch, and again, the violence is sparse but brutal, making it that much more effective.

Gosling's character is reserved, mysterious and cool; when he loses it, you go along with the ride. But I really appreciate the motivation behind him and the others. We never get a real back story to his character either, and I applaud the film for not trying to cram one in. Instead, it can focus more on the present. Indeed, we barely care about the future either, and I think the movie is able to engage you further because of it's sharp focus. It certainly had me. It had me right from the beginning, with the strong 80's vibe. The soundtrack deserves mention here; it's modern yet "retro" at the same time, and it all comes together perfectly.

So the movie was not as expected: it was much better. My friend said he loved it, and his wife said it was his favourite of the year. I can completely understand why. It blends everything I love into one movie (except perhaps giant monsters and sci-fi, but I can get over that).