The crimson and the black

Film review: Drive

MANILA, Philippines - As dark and bleak as its main characters, the noir film Drive (showing exclusively at the Ayala cinemas) is sparked by crimson, the color of blood. This would have been a noir revival film in a summer of comic characters and high-adventure blockbusters, and relegated to art house cinemas if not for the fact that current Hollywood poster boy Ryan Gosling decided, against grain and image but to his credit, to take on the lead role of The Driver.

Set in the underbelly of Los Angeles, far from the glitz we associate with the city, the film revolves around small-time gangland, debts that are owed, retribution and avenging justice. Gosling plays a bit actor/stunt driver who works in a garage by day, and is a getaway driver for hire by night. He forges a friendship with apartment neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son Benicio. It turns out that Irene’s husband is in prison and things get complicated when he’s released and is coerced to do a pawnshop heist. That they are all mere pawns in a game of double cross becomes apparent when Gosling’s character “drives” the getaway car. Smalltown hood bosses (Albert Brroks and Ron Perlman) have a stake in Gosling’s opportunity to be a stock car driver, and as fate would have it, are also enmeshed in the deadly game of double cross that transpires.

Rated R-13 for the violence, Gosling’s character never handles a gun but goes for more “intimate” and grisly weapons  there are still a lot of cuts made, cuts that take away from the tension build up, and why the film created such an impact when it opened in America. That Gosling is in the film led women to troop to the film, and some were shocked by the nihilistic portrayal. Come on, Gosling is an actor, and it’s good to see him expand his range. Brad Pitt started with offbeat roles in Johnny Suede and Thelma and Louise, and I admire Gosling for taking on this role now that he is established as a romantic lead. Another great surprise is watching funnyman Brooks turn mean and nasty.

The direction of Nicholas Winding Refn, based on James Sallis’ book, goes noir-poetic in such well-crafted scenes as the elevator sequence, and the play on shadows during the final violent confrontation. Some of the graphic novel film adaptations aim for a noir treatment, and fall flat on their faces. It’s great to see a small film like Drive take that genre, and give it a contemporary meaning. I do wish that there were less cuts made, but if you miss films like Goodfellas and Reservoir Dogs, Drive is definitely worth catching.