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.
