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» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Community   » Film Handlers' Movie Reviews   » Drive (2011)

   
Author Topic: Drive (2011)
Sam Graham
AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues.

Posts: 1431
From: Waukee, IA
Registered: Dec 2004


 - posted 09-24-2011 04:09 PM      Profile for Sam Graham   Author's Homepage   Email Sam Graham   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
CINEMA: 13th Avenue Warren, Wichita, KS
AUDITORIUM: 14
PRESENTATION: Dolby Digital Cinema DLP/THX
PRESENTATION PROBLES: None [Cool]
RATING: Three stars (out of four)

Frowning Counter Girl leans her chin on her hands, which are folded over the cash register. She's staring off into space as I stand in front of her.

And stand some more.

And some more.

Then her head drifts my way, she does a double-take, and mumbles something that resembles "Hi".

THE PLOT: A guy drives. Wackiness ensues.

Jeepers. That was kind of violent.

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Jonathan Goeldner
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1360
From: Washington, District of Columbia
Registered: Jun 2008


 - posted 10-07-2011 04:10 PM      Profile for Jonathan Goeldner   Email Jonathan Goeldner   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I was very surprised/shocked at the violence quota - guess the MPAA let it slide without giving the film an NC-17 rating.

loved the soundtrack - very Tangerine Dream-esque.

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Mike Croaro
Master Film Handler

Posts: 394
From: Millbrae, CA
Registered: Apr 2005


 - posted 10-09-2011 07:22 PM      Profile for Mike Croaro   Email Mike Croaro   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Folks:

Saw the movie today. This is an excellent movie. Very well made. Both entertaining and compelling.

Mike

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Stu Jamieson
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 524
From: Buccan, Qld, Australia
Registered: Jan 2008


 - posted 10-22-2011 07:19 PM      Profile for Stu Jamieson   Email Stu Jamieson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Jesus Christ, Sam, you do frequent some godawful cinemas!

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 10-24-2011 03:20 PM      Profile for John Wilson   Email John Wilson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Awww Stu, I was looking for your review. [Frown]

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Stu Jamieson
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 524
From: Buccan, Qld, Australia
Registered: Jan 2008


 - posted 10-24-2011 04:03 PM      Profile for Stu Jamieson   Email Stu Jamieson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Will be up this weekend, mate. [Smile]

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 10-25-2011 04:27 AM      Profile for John Wilson   Email John Wilson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I eagerly await it. You are in for a treat, I feel....

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Stu Jamieson
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 524
From: Buccan, Qld, Australia
Registered: Jan 2008


 - posted 10-29-2011 08:05 PM      Profile for Stu Jamieson   Email Stu Jamieson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
My first impression of Drive came from the official production notes:

Ryan Gosling stars as a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night. Though a loner by nature, Driver can't help falling in love with his beautiful neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan), a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband Standard (Oscar Isaac).

After a heist intended to pay off Standard's protection money spins unpredictably out of control, Driver finds himself driving defense for the girl he loves, tailgated by a syndicate of deadly serious criminals (Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman). But when he realizes that the gangsters are after more than the bag of cash in his trunk - that they're coming straight for Irene and her son - Driver is forced to shift gears and go on the offense.


Okay, so nothing remarkable there; it sounds like a dozen or so movies we've seen before. But what is remarkable is how director, Nicolas Winding Refn, turns this rather pedestrian, clichéd story into a gripping action suspense thriller.

The opening car chase sequence immediately sets this film apart from its peers with its constantly shifting pace, from high speed pursuit to slinking through back streets in stealth mode, through to its neat conclusion. The opening sequence would make an effective short in its own right. It sets the tone for what will follow with the exception, perhaps, for the turn to sudden blinding violence in the films final act.

Performances are excellent from a cast including Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman. Gosling is well cast in the mould of Luc Besson's Leon; a nice guy prone to explosive acts of violence when backed into a corner. Is Mulligan miscast? Perhaps. It does raise questions as to how such a lovely girl could end up married to such an arsehole criminal husband. But then the whole women-falling-for-arseholes thing is something I've struggled to comprehend my whole life. And Jane Campion has garnered much critical praise for moulding her films around such relationships, so what do I know? One thing that is sure, though, is that it's not hard to fall in love with Mulligan's character, and that is surely the litmus test of her performance.

Drive is a good example of what can be done with a Fast & Furious style flick when a confident, competent director resides in the driver's seat. It's exceptionally well made, well paced and tuned to an effective pulsing soundtrack and rightfully marks a highlight in the genre. Thankfully it's much harder and faster than the rather curious Pretty In Pink font which adorns its credits.

8.5 out of 10.

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