# Drive



## flexkill (Sep 8, 2012)

I just watched "Drive" on Netflix, Gotta say, I enjoyed it. Thought it would be horrible but it wasn't bad at all.


----------



## Fiction (Sep 8, 2012)

I thought it was horrible.

I'm glad it picked up in the end though, so at least I didn't waste my time, the violence made up for all the initial yapping.


----------



## flexkill (Sep 8, 2012)

well going in to any movie like this I always expect the worse, so this was better than planned haha.


----------



## GazPots (Sep 8, 2012)

I kinda liked it, even the cheesey 80's soundtrack. 


Also the rather extreme violence took me off guard which was a pleasant surprise. 




Spoiler



The bit where Brian Cranston gets his arm sliced right up the vein. I shuddered.


----------



## soliloquy (Sep 8, 2012)

i thought the movie was okay. but the ending really annoyed me. what was the purpose of the story?


----------



## Murdstone (Sep 8, 2012)

I thought it tried way too hard to be mysterious and 'sexy silent tough-guy gets things done.'

"My hands are dirty"
"So are mine..."


----------



## Mexi (Sep 8, 2012)

I liked it. I thought the previews didn't really demonstrate just how dialogue-heavy the movie is, and sorta drags on at times, but different enough from other movies to be really enjoyable.


----------



## Danukenator (Sep 14, 2012)

It was certainly odd. I actually liked the rather heavy dialogue parts. It made the characters more three dimensional. You really knew Ryan's character by the end, instead of him just being a mystery loaner. 

I also thought the love triangle was interesting and well done. 



Spoiler



The random transition to balls-to-the-walls violence was a little bit odd. I personally enjoyed it. It transitioned the entire feel of the movie but didn't come across as just random. It was like the director knew that the slowness needed to stop and that realistic and brutal violence that was appropriate to the context of the scenes would be the way to make the transition happen.



Overall, give it a watch and stick it out. Most people I knew enjoyed it. 8/10.


----------



## straightshreddd (Sep 14, 2012)

I'm more into art films/avant garde/independent films myself, but I generally agree with the things Flex posts so I'm gonna give this a watch later. Hope it it's worth it, yo. haha


----------



## bhakan (Sep 14, 2012)

All I remember... about that movie is that... the dialogue was full of long and poorly.... placed pauses that made it tedious to make... it through a conversation.


----------



## Scar Symmetry (Sep 14, 2012)

Supposed to be amazing, I found it... lacking.


----------



## Xaios (Sep 15, 2012)

I enjoyed it. Carey Mulligan is cute as hell.


----------



## MFB (Sep 15, 2012)

I thought ti was average, although it felt like it was over really quickly

Carey Mulligan wasn't too shabby either, she's like, stupidly cute


----------



## flexkill (Sep 15, 2012)

Just to clarify my point here, I am in no way saying this is a masterpiece of a movie. I was just pleasantly surprised when it wasn't terrible. Any time I see a movie that involves this type of theme 9x out of 10....it's horrid.


----------



## SpaceDock (Sep 15, 2012)

The first time I watched the movie I was like, meh. The second time I think I really got it. The movie is at a much slower pace and lacks the typical Hollywood explosive retardedness on purpose. I find it to be based on more surreal style movies in its sublety and the behind the head driving scenes are like out of a dream. It is not like most movies out there and that is why most people won't like it.


----------



## ST3MOCON (Sep 15, 2012)

Drive is a good movie. It definitely caters to a different audience. I watch so many movies and cinema is one of the things I truly enjoy. The movie has a cool 80's vibe. I feel like this movie shows a more realalistic look at someone's life if something like that happened. Its still stylized in the movie fashion but it was a more transparent look. There's a lot of talking and not too much action going on but how many times do you find yourself in a car chase or taking a hammer to someone lol I think it's more of a movie for people when they feel like they've scene it all or know all the cliches of an action film. I think the 80's feel was a hint to that as well.


----------



## Darkened (Dec 13, 2012)

You can say everything about this film, but it has got really nice soundtrack and a lot of great takes. I can agree that it isn't very "fast" but not every film has to be like that. Drive needs some patience and focus.


----------



## Choop (Dec 14, 2012)

Darkened said:


> You can say everything about this film, but it has got really nice soundtrack and a lot of great takes. I can agree that it isn't very "fast" but not every film has to be like that. Drive needs some patience and focus.



Pretty much this. I really like Drive, and it's definitely a movie where the style is a big part of what makes it great IMO.


----------



## Thrashmanzac (Dec 14, 2012)

i fucking love this movie.
and Bronson.


----------



## Ibanezsam4 (Dec 14, 2012)

Choop said:


> Pretty much this. I really like Drive, and it's definitely a movie where the style is a big part of what makes it great IMO.



pretty much this. its the style, its the symbolism, how the imagery and the sound track work together. how the physical performances convey so much emotion, how the film draws on cinematic tropes for the main character but puts so much depth that just barely under the surface.. and lets face it the cinematography is gorgeous.


----------



## Mexi (Dec 22, 2012)

^^ this
and the soundtrack worked beautifully with the movie


----------



## Sang-Drax (Dec 27, 2012)

Mexi said:


> ^^ this
> and the soundtrack worked beautifully with the movie



That was one of the things that annoyed me the most 

I've never really liked Ryan Gosling, but indifference has grown into hatred after watching this terrible movie.


----------



## Sunyata (Dec 27, 2012)

-Little to no music
-Sparse dialogue
-Ridiculously awkward, flat character interactions

Every time a movie gets made with these things, it is always lauded as some "Art" film. Sometimes they are. 

In this case, it's just Ryan Gosling purposelessly working his way through the entire movie with communication skills worse than a severely autistic child.


----------



## Ibanezsam4 (Dec 27, 2012)

Sunyata said:


> -Little to no music
> -Sparse dialogue
> -Ridiculously awkward, flat character interactions
> 
> ...



there's a reason for awkward character interactions, specifically with Gosling's character. 

if you notice he seems to not understand kindness directed towards him. he's shy about it. at first its awkward, but put in context to the scene in the diner when a former client it makes sense he very quickly reacts with violent language. implying that what comes easily to him is violence (physical evidence presented at the later half of the film). this matches with the traditional aesthetic of the wandering hero/anti-hero, they are mysterious, reserved and quiet, yet they have a destructive capability which drives (pun) the story forward. 

this also matches the symbolism of the film: he wears a white jacket with a golden scorpion in the center; all of which has symbolic connotations (white: purity of intent; scorpion: violence; gold: nobility and power; which is centered which implies a that his nature his violent yet he has noble virtues). 

this by no means an "art" film, if this were an art film then it would typically be a surrealist experimental piece which would've bored the shit out of everyone... no, this film is what is referred to as "art house cinema" which in America specifically refers to small independent theaters which screen films that are not distributed en mass in movie complexes. that is not to say these films are bad, it is that they simply eschew any semblance of traditional narrative structure and motifs which Hollywood audiences expect because they have been conditioned to only view linear narratives as correct. 

whereas "art house" (which has been present in film history since the luminaries) often takes these common ideas such as the wandering hero/anti-hero and flips them, perverts them, deconstructs them and so forth to their own ends. 
Drive is actually a fairly traditional Hollywood film, it follows the three act formula, has heroes and villains and everything the standard Michael Bay fan would want. However what Nicholas Winding Refn does here is take those common features and decides not to waste the audiences time with it. Here is the "art house" influence, Refn assumes you have seen many films before this and are adept at recognizing the structure of the film, and as such you analyze the film for these common ideas (often unknowingly). 
So what does Refn do? he strips the characters of all worthless dialog which would've spoon-fed the plot to the viewer, and leaves them only with their intent. 
Dialog in film is almost useless as humans only remember 30% of what we hear (Tarantino and other directors who understand how to actually write are the exceptions to this), what we most respond to is what is conveyed physically through the screen (emotions, facial expressions, and body language). by doing away with dialog, you actually are watching what you naturally respond to in your everyday interactions. 
Since we are conditioned to follow Hollywood narratives the absence of dialog is rather disorienting, it keeps us from escaping into the film and makes us actually think through the viewing. basically you stop lying to yourself that this isn't real and start critically thinking about the characters. the almost unnecessary amount of violence in it has a similar effect of jolting the viewer out of the experience. 

This blurs the line between cineplex and art house because it keeps the linear storytelling but treats it from an art house perspective. it lifts you out of the story and makes you actually evaluate how the movie's work together to create a better film. once you evaluate all the elements that go into this movie you realize that every aspect of this film is complimentary and nothing works against itself (think Dark Knight Rises and how the length and filler scenes and progression of time actually make it a worse film). the best part is you're not supposed to sit down and analyze it in long form like this, rather you experience it all in a flash. 

Drive doesn't reinvent the wheel, but mainly tells the viewer "hey you've seen this a dozen times, try watching it this way" which i actually find is a far more gratifying experience. 

btw, i actually do not have a hard on for this director as i feel he directed the single most pretentious film ever: Valhalla Rising... tried waaaaaay too hard to be Tarkovsky and it shows.


----------



## Sunyata (Dec 29, 2012)

Maybe I should re-watch it huh?


----------



## Compton (Jan 8, 2013)

I don't see how anyone can honestly dislike this movie that much, I mean, it seems like you have to really look for an excuse to do so. Or maybe you are just too ADD.

By the way, a lot of the dialogue from the characters comes from the book. I personally didn't find any of the lines awkward or cheesy, I felt like the atmosphere was perfect for the character. 

Oh well, i'm not a bedroom critic though..


----------

