(Newton Thomas Sigel was the resourceful cinematographer), and the violence increasingly goes beyond what you expect. Refn, who has built himself a substantial following on the basis of such stylishly powerful works as the Pusher trilogy, Bronson and Valhalla Rising, creates a strong imprint with his vision of a dark, seamy L.A.
Possibly for the same reason, something analogous takes place visually as well. Amini simply doesn’t build enough subtext and layering beneath the surface of the characters and dialogue the tough talk is simply not loaded the way it is in the best noirs, so the lack of resonance is manifest. The downtime never threatens to become dull, not with this cast nor with Refn’s lively style and the wildly eclectic soundtrack that’s embedded in techno music but extends well beyond it.Īll the same, Hossein Amini’s adaptation of James Sallis’ short novel feels more threadbare than bracingly terse he’s clearly aspiring to the sort of spare muscularity in crime writing pioneered by Hemingway in The Killers and subsequently employed by many others. The lulls between set pieces tend to be quiet and moody, which dramatically offsets the efficiently executed car chases and the killings that mount up - and become increasing gory - as the bad deeds multiply.
THE DRIVE 2011 DRIVER
However, an unpaid debt, unknown links to Bernie’s vulgar criminal pal Nino ( Ron Perlman), a botched robbery and deeply entrenched venality on several fronts pull Driver into a treacherous underworld that ultimately requires far more of him than his driving skill. When Irene’s man, named Standard ( Oscar Isaac), is released, he expresses regret over his former actions and genuine appreciation for his shot at a second chance.
THE DRIVE 2011 PROFESSIONAL
At the same time, it appears that Driver’s professional fortunes might be improving, as his longtime boss and patron, gimpy-legged auto shop owner Shannon ( Bryan Cranston) makes a deal with big-bucks investor Bernie Rose ( Albert Brooks) to back Driver as a stock car racer. We never learn much more about the man than that, but he quickly takes a strong interest in the welfare of this young woman, who has a cute young son ( Kaden Leos) whose dad is in prison.
An initial exchange between them sums up the semi-philosophical, borderline hilarious sort of dialogue that often finds its way into this kind of fare. The sharply executed opening sequence shows Driver’s complete mastery of Los Angeles streets, as well as his grace under pressure, as he threads his way through a net of police cars and helicopters to escape from a nocturnal warehouse break-in.ĭrawn to an appealing neighbor in his near-downtown apartment building, Irene ( Carey Mulligan), Driver does more talking with his eyes than with his mouth.
THE DRIVE 2011 MOVIE
Never speaking unless absolutely necessary, Gosling’s unnamed Driver works doing movie stunts during the day and moonlights as a robbery getaway driver. Not the sort of film normally seen in the competition at Cannes, this moody and bloody entry should be promotable to good box office results from both discerning and popcorn audiences come September. With Ryan Gosling ably incarnating a pent-up man of few words who goes to great lengths to make one positive gesture in a rotten world, Danish wunderkind Nicolas Winding Refn has fashioned an atmospheric and engaging glorified potboiler that nonetheless seems powered by a half-empty creative tank. CANNES - A spasmodically violent, creatively cast and off-center fast-cars-and-crime drama, Drive belongs to a rarified genre subset of stripped down, semi-arty and quasi-existentialist action films that includes Point Blank, Bullitt and The Driver.
0 kommentar(er)
