Drive (2011)

A mysterious Hollywood stuntman and mechanic moonlights as a getaway driver and finds himself in trouble when he helps out his neighbor.

Director:

Nicolas Winding Refn

Writers:

Hossein Amini (screenplay), James Sallis (book)

Stars:

Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 79 wins & 179 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan Gosling	...	Driver
Carey Mulligan	...	Irene
Bryan Cranston	...	Shannon
Albert Brooks	...	Bernie Rose
Oscar Isaac	...	Standard
Christina Hendricks	...	Blanche
Ron Perlman	...	Nino
Kaden Leos	...	Benicio
Jeff Wolfe	...	Tan Suit
James Biberi	...	Cook
Russ Tamblyn	...	Doc
Joe Bucaro III	...	Chauffeur (as Joey Bucaro)
Tiara Parker	...	Young Woman
Tim Trella	...	Hitman #1
Jimmy Hart	...	Hitman #2

Storyline

This action drama follows a mysterious man who has multiple jobs as a garage mechanic, a Hollywood stuntman and a getaway driver seems to be trying to escape his shady past as he falls for his neighbor - whose husband is in prison and who's looking after her child alone. Meanwhile, his garage mechanic boss is trying to set up a race team using gangland money, which implicates our driver as he is to be used as the race team's main driver. Our hero gets more than he bargained for when he meets the man who is married to the woman he loves.

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Plot Keywords:

neo noir | nameless character | mythical hero | silent protagonist | very little dialogue | 

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Taglines:

There Are No Clean Getaways

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence, language and some nudity.

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Biberi, who typically plays policemen in minor roles, plays against type as the thug Cook.

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Goofs

When The Driver opens the door for the robbers at the beginning of the movie, you can hear the car make a beeping noise. This "key in ignition" noise only plays when the driver's door is open, to prevent locking the keys in the car.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Driver: [on phone] There's a hundred-thousand streets in this city. You don't need to know the route. You give me a time and a place, I give you a five minute window. Anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours. No matter what. Anything happens a minute either side of that and you're on your own. Do you understand?
[pause]
Driver: Good. And you won't be able to reach me on this phone again.

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Alternate Versions

The US theatrical version of the film featured less dialogue; the line referring to the toad and the scorpion was absent, as was Nino's line: "Go check out who this guy fucking is." The ambient track usage also varied, with some scenes containing altered tracks and or track timing, and in some cases different tracks entirely.

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Connections

Referenced in Chris Stuckmann Hilariocity Reviews: Samurai Cop (2016)

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Soundtracks

Oh My Love
Written by Riz Ortolani, Katina Ranieri (as Rina Ranieri)
Performed by Riz Ortolani (f. Katina Ranieri (as Katyna Ranieri))
From Addio zio Tom (1971)
Courtesy of Universal Records

User Reviews

Why Are Some People So Dumb?

One reviewer here suggested that instead of seeing Drive you should see what Drive was aspiring to be Layer Cake. Drive is nothing like Layer Cake nor even tries to be. They have nothing in common, and the comment is just absurd. It is a far far better film though. From it's title sequence written in cursive pink (which a ton of idiots just did not get for some reason) to it's retro soundtrack. It is a picture perfect reflection of the films from the late 60's, 70's and 80's. If you have not seen films from this era (i do believe so many reviewers here have not) you will not entirely get this film.

This is a man with no name film. Instead of horses and cowboys we get fast muscle cars and ruthless gangsters. Our hero is a man with no name. He is also a man of very few words that can break out into fits of extreme violence at any moment to protect those he cares about. We get no back story to our hero just like the Eastwood pictures, which makes the film even more effective. He is not your typical Vin Diesel blabbering idiot action hero. He is an old fashioned action hero. Too many here did not understand this, and decided this was bad acting/directing. It is far better to imagine what Gosslings character has done to arrive at this point, than to be shown in some cheesy flash back sequence. Albert Brooks (who is just fantastic as usual), Ron Pearlman, and Bryan Cranston all provide nice contrast to our quiet hero.

Another reviewer here stated there was no explanation for the second car at the pawn shop. Well there was. I will not give it away here, but you will find the answer in the motel sequence. The violence has also been hated on here, but it is just part of the world he lives in. The fact that he can be just as cruel as the gangsters adds to the mystery of his character.

Not one negative review is credible. Unless you were raised on Transformer and Fast and Furious pictures. Then I guess you would need more CG, louder music, and bad duologue so you could understand the film easier. Or maybe you just need more imaginary computerized cars doing spectacular things on screen to hold your attention. The fact is this is a fantastic film, filled with great performances, and some of the best chase sequences since bullet. Be smart see films that matter.

Details

Official Sites:

Le Pacte [France] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

16 September 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Drive

Filming Locations:

Saugus Speedway - 22500 Soledad Canyon Road, Saugus, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,340,461, 18 September 2011

Gross USA:

$35,061,555

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$77,187,281

Company Credits

Production Co:

FilmDistrict, Bold Films, MWM Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1