Drive: Multiple personas of an unnamed driver

Action movies have a typical script supplemented by lots of combat sequences, car chases and explosions taking place every few minutes in the film. The plot is always predictable and the norm for action flicks is – the bigger the budget, the better the film. This has become the standard to expect from Hollywood films over the past few decades, especially for blockbuster action films. A film that wouldn’t follow this norm is expected to fail in the box office but director Nicolas Winding Refn took a chance and made a unique film with the release of Drive.

An unnamed driver moves into an apartment in a building in Los Angeles. He works as a stunt driver for Hollywood films on a part-time basis and is employed on a full-time basis as a mechanic in a garage. His deep, dark secret is that he also moonlights as a getaway driver for anyone who wants to hire him for criminal activities. His new neighbour is a young mother named Irene, and her son Benicio, with the family patriarch absent because of a prison sentence. The driver is attracted to the beautiful young woman and aids her with routine tasks to spend time with her. Irene is also seemingly attracted to him and allows him to hang around with her son as they bond together. Just as their relationship seems to be moving forward, Irene’s husband is released from prison and comes back to his family while bringing his troubles along.

Drive was released in the year 2011. It was directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and stars Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan in the lead roles. The screenplay for the film is adapted from a novel of the same name which was written by James Sallis. The film is unique especially because it does not fit entirely into one particular genre. There are elements of an action film with car chases which forms an important part of the film while there is drama and crime running through the main plot with a parallel story of romance. The use of multiple genres is what makes it most interesting.

The film has been made simply. There are no deep undertones which divert too far from the main plot. The storyline moves quickly and the main plot twist comes as soon as the characters and the story is established. From then on the characters are pulled and pushed in different directions based on their morality and how they will react to certain situations. One particular scene which shows the director’s intent with playing around with his characters is when the driver and Irene are isolated in an elevator with a hitman. The driver pulls Irene to a corner and kisses her passionately for the first time which is shown with the lights dimming, the shot being slowed down in time and slow romantic music being used for the background score. The driver then pushes Irene to safety as the hitman reaches for his gun; the driver beats up the hitman, throws him to the ground and keeps kicking his head till it caves in. After this, the driver looks up to see Irene outside the elevator, staring at him while the elevator doors close. The scene could translate into Irene completely falling in love with the driver but then witnessing a new side of him which shocks her with the closing elevator doors being an allegory for the end of their relationship. There is also a depth in the character of the unnamed driver which remains unexplained. He seems to be reserved and uses limited speech but turns into a figure of command when behind the wheel of a car. His persona changes when he is driving and the actors he doubles for as stunt actor become the inspiration for his violence as he dons their mask in one of the scenes where he sets out to take revenge. Even his sense of dressing is a reflection of the characters he plays on screen while his obsession with chewing on a toothpick pick and wearing gloves every now and then remain unexplained.

The film is a fresh take to Hollywood’s regular styles. The infusion of drama, crime, romance and action together is probably the main highlight. It is a good film; worth a watch.

Crazy, Stupid, Love: A funny new way of looking at love

Over the past few years, the number of divorces that have ripped families apart has been on the rise. A view of family life has shifted from the necessity of the husband and wife to stick together towards a belief that everyone should do whatever it takes to be happy. Divorce was always looked at with a scorn that is reserved for something that is hated. It has always been a matter of serious consequence; but what if it triggers the start of many comical incidents?

Cal and Emily were a happily married couple, or at least that seemed to be the case until Emily decided to ask for a divorce while Cal was deciding what to have for dessert when they were enjoying dinner in a restaurant. Evidently Cal is in shock but decides to move out of the house where he lived with his wife and children as he mops in private by drinking heavily at a local bar. As Cal proceeds to recite to anyone who will listen about his wife’s affair and request for a divorce, Jacob, a suave and handsome young man, overhears his willowing and pities him. Jacob decides to teach Cal his ways and help him pick up women at the bar so Cal can get over his wife and move on with his life. The ensuing training brings out many hilarious moments as Jacob teaches Cal the ways of bachelorhood while he himself falls in love with a young woman who he wants to settle down with. At the same time, Cal and Emily struggle with getting their children to accept their impending divorce and how to deal with their beloved Nana.

By taking a serious topic like divorce and twisting it around in a hilarious way, directors Glen Ficarra and John Requa have allowed the audience an opportunity to laugh at some of life’s miserable moments. Although it can be quite serious at instances, divorce isn’t as grave a subject as death, murder, genocide and the like which fall under the genre of dark humour.

The plot itself stems from quite an original idea where a to-be-divorced husband is befriended by a younger man who has to initiate him into bachelorhood, something that the husband has never really experienced previously. Writer Dan Fogelman has put in some great ideas and parallel stories in the plot which makes it fresh and interesting when watching the film. The small twist in the plot and the minor confusion that it creates is a great addition that brings the stories together. In addition, the film provides a slightly askew but unique view of what love has become in the modern age.

The film has Steve Carell’s unique style of comedy balanced with Ryan Gosling’s smouldering good looks. It is a very good film that balances comedy, drama and romance.

The Descendants: A simple story of a complicated life

Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans. We never know what life has in store for us but we carry on living and hoping to move on the path that we set for ourselves. But sometimes we fail to realise the little things in life where we should be paying attention. Working hard and focusing on a job might guarantee a successful career but also results in the loss of a happy family life. This is exactly the case in the 2011 film The Descendants which was directed by Alexander Payne and stars George Clooney.

Matt King is a lawyer who works hard and spends most of the hours of the day in his office. He barely sees his family which results in his daughters being emotionally disjointed from him and causes his wife, Elizabeth, to take up dangerous sports to keep herself occupied. One such activity results in a boating accident which lands his wife in the hospital with a coma in a critical condition. Matt struggles to cope with this tragedy as he tries to bring his family and friends together and keep them wary of the fact that they may never see Elizabeth again. Matt is also a land baron of a huge family property which was passed down through many generations of his family who are native to the islands of Hawaii. Matt is tasked with the job of signing off on a deal that will take the property away from his extended family and into the hands of foreign investors, something which no Hawaiian wants to see happen. Matt must make some difficult decisions as he learns new truths about his wife and struggles to cope with her condition and the rest of his life.

The film moves at a slow pace as the story unfolds itself. The plot has an appeal which makes it seem like a real story that could happen to anyone. The film has many comedic moments. In spite of dealing with grave topics, the film has a light tone which allows the audience to relax every now and then. The humour is a blend of deadpan and black which is subtle throughout the film. The use of traditional Hawaiian style music adds to the feel of the film as well.

Although the film does come across as boring, if one sits down to watch it from start to finish, the film is quite a nice story of difficult decisions to be made in life.

United: A depiction of disaster, passion and brotherhood

A famous personality in the world of football, Bill Shankly, once stated that “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that”. This single quote is able to capture the emotion of any true football fan. It shows the passion and drive that goes into the sport which crosses any barriers, especially when it comes to a time of disaster that the sport happens to witness. One such huge instance is depicted in the 2011 TV drama film United.

In the late 1950’s, the football club Manchester United was managed by a man named Matt Busby, a revolutionary in the world of football who propagated training youngsters from within the ranks of the club to build a youthful team that was bound together by a love for the club and a sense of comradeship. This led to his team consisting of young adults who were affectionately nicknamed ‘Busby Babes’. Bobby Charlton was a 20 year old footballer who was just breaking into the team. He was coached by Jimmy Murphy who had a special spot of affection for him and supported him as he started making a name for himself. In 1958, the entire team flew to Belgrade, Yugoslavia, for a match, except for Jimmy who was attending to other duties. On the return flight to Manchester, England, the plane stopped off at Munich, West Germany, to refuel. In several attempts to take off amid the torrid weather, the plane had a horrendous crash which led to the deaths of 23 of its 44 passengers, including 7 members of the Manchester United football team. The story is told from the perspective of the surviving Bobby Charlton as he and Jimmy Murphy attempt to reconstruct the football team with support coming from around the world of football and local community.

The story is an emotional perspective for anyone that loves the sport of football and all that it stands for. Even those who have no affiliation to the sport can understand the impact of the disaster on the lives of the players, the families, the community and others. Even actor David Tennant, who plays the role of Jimmy Murphy, claimed to have no particular soft spot towards the sport but was moved by the story and put in a rousing performance in the film. The story showed how the footballing community came together in a time of distress. It is a chronicle of an important event which claimed the lives of a few, wrecked the emotion of the survivors and shook the lives of many.

Whether a supporter of the sport or not, the film is a must watch. It does not particularly depict the sport itself but is more about the occurrences in the lives of the people the sport affects. It is possible for anyone to connect with the story and put themselves in the shoes of the people on screen.

50/50: Laughing through a fight with cancer

The general mood that follows the onset of a terminal disease like cancer is one which is downcast and solemn. Whether being inflicted by the disease personally or having a loved one around you who has the disease, it casts a shadow every time your thoughts go in the direction of the disease. It is a grave illness and claims many lives in its different forms. So, ideally, humour would not be associated with cancer. But that is where the 2011 film 50/50 breaks the norm.

Adam is a very focused and hard working individual who plies his trade at a radio station. He believes strongly in his work and likes it to be perfect before it goes on air. He has a loving mother, who takes care of his dad day-and-night because of his Alzheimer’s disease. He also has a happy-go-lucky, morally-unbound best friend Kyle and a girlfriend Rachael who spends most of her time with Adam at his house but stays away from physical pleasures with him. Adam is a careful person; he does not own a car for fear of having an accident and never learned how to drive which leaves him dependent on his family and friends to escort him everywhere he needs to go. In this mix, Adam visits a doctor for a backache and is revealed to have a tumour in his back of a rare form of cancer called schwannoma neurofibrosarcoma. Adam’s world slowly crumbles as he faces the cancer and treatment with the help of his family and friends while learning who really cares about him and will stand by him through thick and thin.

The premise of the film is about a guy with cancer who deals with life as it is thrown at him. But what makes the film brilliant is the way in which it has been dealt. Although it would be presumed that any humour involving a serious illness such as cancer would be black comedy, the film deals with the illness and its seriousness with poise. The humour is subtle with the protagonist and his best friend being the main vessels. As the protagonist opens to his condition and accepts it, his friend introduces him to new ideas whereby he can take advantage of his illness to procure medical marijuana and get compassion from women for one-night stands. As such, there is no disrespect towards the illness and people who suffer from it.

Although Joseph-Gordon Levitt plays the role of the protagonist well, the show is stolen by Seth Rogen in the supporting role. Rogen is actually cast as himself in a script written by Will Reiser based loosely on his own experience with cancer when Rogen helped him combat the illness just as Kyle does with Adam in the film. A tip of the hat also goes to Anna Kendrick who has played the role of the relatively inexperienced and awkward therapist who coaches Adam as he struggles with his illness.

The film deserves accolades and may actually be worth a rating which is better than it has received thus far. At the very least, it deserves to be watched a few times.