Head stompingly good fun

Every year cinema provides a few hidden gems. Those movies you’ve heard nothing about and see with little-to-no expectations and yet they become one of your favourite films of the year. 2009 saw District 9 become a favourite of mine from absolutely nowhere, 2010’s gem was The Social Network and now 2011 has given me Drive.

The story centres around a character who has a very Daniel Craig from Layer Cake vibe about him; so much so that he doesn’t even have a name. Played by Ryan Gosling, this silent hero goes through the movie trying to do what’s right for those innocent around him, how he succeeds and how he fails.

I had no idea what to expect when walking into this one. Sure it’s called Drive, but cars don’t feature too heavily in this movie at all. The main focus is on the main character as he tries to help a woman who lives next door to him (played by the very good Carey Mulligan).


One thing I also didn’t expect is the sheer violence of the movie. It’s ultra-violent to the point where at it actually shocks you with how gruesome it is! Ten minutes don’t go by without someone being stabbed in the face, or shot, or stomped on, even the dentist from Seinfeld gets involved.

But the main draw for this film is the main character. Ryan Gosling must have been shocked when his entire dialogue for the movie was handed to him on a post-it note.

And yet it makes him all the more appealing. His actions speak much more than his words ever could, and his consistently emotionless expression says thousands more than his little post-it could ever achieve. He even manages to draw you in while wearing a white jacket with a yellow scorpion on the back!

The only down-point, if you can even call it that, is that the film plays on it to the point of parody. For example the ridiculously long awkward pauses between Gosling and his vulnerable neighbour that occur so much that if you removed them from the film it’d only last around 45 minutes.

But that really is the only downside to this otherwise brilliant movie. The story isn’t the most spectacular you’ll ever see, but the drama and the action make up for it in droves. I should mention the soundtrack too which is fantastic and really well-suited.

A lot of people have said Drive is based on an old movie from the 1950s called Shane. I’ve never seen Shane so I can’t really comment on whether it’s better or worse. To be honest I wouldn’t want to, I much prefer seeing Drive as an entity all to itself. I’m glad that every year there is a film that gets no hype whatsoever and yet becomes one of my favourites.

Final Verdict: 4 Stars. A hidden gem.