Drive



Artisan Fan said:

Brooks was great but I don't think the storyline was all that special. I was a bit disappointed.

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The film was a riff on conventions. You can't subvert a convention wholly or on it's various levels if you don't follow or allude to that convention in some way. It wasn't about giving you an original narrative (after about... 1200 BC, what has been?) it was about giving you a highly stylized visceral kick by playing with/against our expectations of pulpy crime/action movie/arthouse/music video/western/classic Hollywood motifs. Also, assuming you're right about the story, when was the last time you saw such a pedestrian story line delivered with such gravitas? Great sound design, great edits, and even if the arcs can be traced back to stories we already know and arcane genres (all stories can) when was the last time you saw those stories presented so inventively? How the film's finale was handled was incredibly bold even among the most provocative indie films, let along something that's getting this films distribution.



Artisan Fan said:

Brooks was great but I don't think the storyline was all that special. I was a bit disappointed.

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I don't think the story was meant to captivate you. I mean Gosling's lines barely fit on one page. The story was pretty 'one, two, three' and I was not expecting anything more than that.

Visually it was a spectacle. I'm glad it was done the way it was done. They did not focus on the cars too much and kept it fairly simple. The soundtrack was perfect, very catchy and neo-noir like, sorta reminded me of GTA games a bit. The hot pink font, the electro tunes, evening in Los Angeles - the atmosphere was great.

Best part about Albert Brooks was how real his character was. He is not happy about some of the things he has to do in the film, and his character and acting shows it.

By the way a few things I noticed in regards to Scorpions and Gosling's characters persona:


Also: I was a little sad that we didn't get to see the better side of Christina Hendricks.



Saturdays said:

I don't think the story was meant to captivate you. I mean Gosling's lines barely fit on one page. The story was pretty 'one, two, three' and I was not expecting anything more than that.

Visually it was a spectacle. I'm glad it was done the way it was done. They did not focus on the cars too much and kept it fairly simple. The soundtrack was perfect, very catchy and neo-noir like, sorta reminded me of GTA games a bit. The hot pink font, the electro tunes, evening in Los Angeles - the atmosphere was great.

Best part about Albert Brooks was how real his character was. He is not happy about some of the things he has to do in the film, and his character and acting shows it.

By the way a few things I noticed in regards to Scorpions and Gosling's characters persona:

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

• Scorpions stay in a group during a short time with their mother and once of age they are alone until next time they reproduce - In a way Gosling gave life to Irene and Benecio and then continued on
• Scorpions crush their prey before eating (Elevator Scene)
• As soon as a scorpion is touched it strikes back (ending scene)
• In general, Scorpions do not attack they react defensively

Also: I was a little sad that we didn't get to see the better side of Christina Hendricks.

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Agreed.



Saturdays said:

I don't think the story was meant to captivate you. I mean Gosling's lines barely fit on one page. The story was pretty 'one, two, three' and I was not expecting anything more than that.

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the book/story it is based on was only 158 pages.



limping_decorum said:

the book/story it is based on was only 158 pages.

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Have you read the book by any chance? I'm wondering if it works on the same levels the film does or if it was straight up pulp and Refn and Gosling flipped it.

That was pretty awesome.

I'm one of the few moviegoers who actually saw Nicolas Winding Refn's small budget "Pusher" trilogy on the festival circuit and I remember thinking that this guy could make some serious magic if he got his hands on a decent budget. Mission accomplished, and how. Great movie.

Didn't expect much going in but I really, really liked this movie.

Just got back from seeing this a few minutes ago and was excited to see this thread and that bbb has already summed up what I was going to post (saves me the job). Everything about this movie from start to finish was just incredible. You could feel it coiling up like a snake from the very beginning, waiting to strike. And when it does...man....

I'm glad bbb also pointed out some of the more technical aspects of this film as they are both superb and subtle. The soundtrack (particularly Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx's opening track "Nightcall" and College's analog monster "A Real Hero") backed with the hot pink 80's credits immediately called to mind the sounds that Jan Hammer brought us in the halcyon days of Miami Vice. From there the nods towards 80's action shows continue as Refn populates his world with classic 80's archetypes: Hollywood stunt drivers, down and out auto shop owners with stockcar dreams, wheelmen, hit men, seamy, wannabe gangsters in track suits, etc. All of these characters I saw at one point or another in 80's television.

I also noticed that after watching Valhalla Rising earlier this spring and now Drive, that Refn likes the strong, silent (and nameless) types for his leading men and I think he did this with greater success in Drive than he did in Valhalla Rising (Gosling's amazing performance really sells this). I also like his use of gore as a means of punctuating moments in the film and while it's definitely graphic, it's not done in an all out schlocky 70's vigilante gore-fest kind of way. Apparently some elderly people didn't agree with that, as they got up and walked out of the theater after one of these scenes.

Anyway, still processing, so I'll try and post more later. You definitely come out of the theater feeling like you just saw something important, but you're not sure how to describe it. That's kind of where I am right now.

Also...anybody know where can I get those driving gloves? I think I'm going to start making them a part of my daily wardrobe.



burningbright said:

Also...anybody know where can I get those driving gloves? I think I'm going to start making them a part of my daily wardrobe.

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There are plenty out there, just google 'Leather Driving Gloves' and add mens if you start to see womens only

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HOUSE-HARLE...-FI145GL-NEW-/270778208821?var=#ht_1885wt_933

look nice in pics not sure of quality or anything.. but anyway just scour the internet you should find plenty

Yes, but are they bad-ass "truth-telling" leather driving gloves?

Meaning can I use them to choke the truth out of people or command silence in a room just with a look so I can hear the leather creaking as I slide them onto my hands. Cuz if they don't do that then I don't want 'em.

EDIT: I also liked your observations on scorpions.

That was wonderful. Parts of it felt like Sophia Coppola. Parts of it felt almost like Michael Mann.

..

funny cause the SFer in me is telling me not to try the entire Gosling look in this movie out.

Somehow sometime soon I will probably try it after I buy a nice muscle car

..

I might be the only one in this thread who is not sold on this movie. I mean it was beautiful, from the way it was shot to the way it was cut and mixed. But for whatever reason, I just could not get myself to care about what was going on. Having said that, the opening heist had me so tense. Actually, this movie had a number of great, tense, holy **** scenes and moments. The elevator scene was ******* amazing, and not just for the violence.