Drive Case

Drive

When I saw the trailer to Drive, I wasn't to thrilled to see it. The night it came out, my friends asked me to see it. I said yes but my decision was based on the fact that Bryan Cranston had a roll in it. I had pretty low expectations walking in but when I walked out I remember telling myself "that is one of the best movies I have ever seen". I couldn't pinpoint exactly what about the movie I really liked. It wasn't until a second viewing, through seeing the movie from within, that I learned what it was that intrigued me.

Before I go on to explain what I found in Driver, I believe its important to note two things , the story is set in LA, and the protagonist works in movies. This is a story that could only take place in LA, the land of dreams. If you skip ahead in the movie, when the Driver is wooing his soon to be lover (his neighbor Irene), he takes Irene and her kid for a afternoon drive through a drainage river. This is a very iconic spot that has been featured in many movies such as Terminator 2 (chase scene). The setting of LA is important, with many aerial shots of the glistening city, it shows the distance of the Driver from the outside world. Also to consider, there is an obvious connection for LA, it is home to Hollywood, the factory behind movies. The fact that the Driver is a Hollywood stuntman makes it seem as a narrative device but the importance of this is seen as the movie goes on. It is through the Driver's Hollywood connections that he comes into contact with Bernie, a former movie producer turned violent gangster. His line, "I used to make movies in the '80s. Action films, sexy stuff ... one critic called them European," seems like an obvious comment on the film itself, referring to the period of time from which Drive seems to get its influence from. I remember the director having an unfamiliar first and last name, so its possible he was talking about himself as the director.

I noticed that the majority of thugs throughout the movie are played in such a cartoon way that they can't be taken seriously, which is most likely intentional. They are posers trying to appear tough, almost as they watched to many mobster movies. The violence depicted on these characters are so exaggerated and violent, that they seem to be almost senseless. Watching this movie with a critical eye, I knew there was more to it then just shock value. When these types of scenes where played, I remembered people laughing and saying how awesome it was. I don't believe that is how the director wanted its viewers to react. The first time that this sort of violence was presented I didn't laugh, I was just amazed at the creativity of its inclusion. If I would have to put it in words, I would describe it as an excessively styled sort of violence.

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