DRIVE (Winding Refn, 2011) - The trouble with movies coming out here so much later than in the U.S. is that you can get tired of the hype before having even seen what’s being hyped. DRIVE was definitely worth the hubbub, but it was also pretty much exactly what I had expected: a tight, beautifully filmed, well-acted, understated mood-piece with occasional bursts of (really) graphic violence.
What can I add? Perhaps that I am a little baffled by how both the movie and the audience seem to consider Gosling’s character a hero. Maybe it’s because I don’t quite get the swooning over Gosling himself: he’s very handsome, sure, and it’s refreshing to have an actor who’s both not afraid of words like “patriarchy” and has a sense of humor about himself. I wouldn’t kick him out of bed for eating crackers, as they say, but as much as I enjoy the novelty tumblrs, I don’t quite get the adulation. And while his character never uses violence unless it’s needed, he definitely doesn’t hold back when it is.
Still, it’s a fascinating, layered performance, especially in the scenes where he barely speaks (his voice is not his strongest asset). He seems to constantly undercut the Steve McQueen, strong-but-silent archetype with little gestures, hesitations, hint of the wounded little boy underneath. It’s in his smile, mostly: the standard tough-guy just sneers and smirks, but his smile is hesitant, guileless, and oddly innocent. It’s hard to tell how much is posing and how much is real - and it’s this tension that makes the film so intriguing.
