Now Playing: Drive (2011)

I was worried that I wouldn't get to see Drive in the theaters here. For a while there was no Canadian release date listed for this film, and with the Toronto International Film Festival in town, it seemed like the two could be related. It could be that they wanted people to go to the screenings during TIFF so they kept the release date held back, but once TIFF was gone, its date and showtimes started filling in. Happily, I made arrangements to see it opening night, as is my way. The critics have been having a field day with this one, throwing positive press around for it like there's no tomorrow. To say my hopes were raised would be an understatement. So is this a movie you should see, and is it worth your hard earned dollars? My opinion is after the jump!


Ryan Gosling stars as the nameless protagonist in Drive. He is known only as the driver, and that's what he does. He has a part time job as a stunt driver for movies, but his main job is as a wheel-man for getaways. He is a man of few words. He meets a young woman, Irene, and they start to get along as he is very good with her son. When her husband gets out of prison, he is forced to do a job robbing a pawn shop, but he can't do it alone, and if he doesn't pull it off, they'll hurt his wife and son. Looks like he just found himself a driver.

I'm going to open this up saying that I really liked this movie. I'm not sure if I loved it, as it seems more critics do, but I would definitely agree that it's really friggin' good! I don't know if I can really think of much in the way of flaws, but I know it's not a film for everyone. In fact I overheard a couple sitting right behind me after the movie was over, one loved it, the other hated it. Unfortunately I have no idea what could be the reason to dislike it.

Ryan Gosling is awesome as "the driver"

The first thing I noticed that made me know this movie was special was the music. Sure it's possible that a movie might only have 1 good song, but even after that opening scene, the music continued to be music to my ears, as they say. I'm not sure what it was, I don't even think I can describe the sound exactly. I just know I liked it.

The acting and characters seemed really good too. Even though Ryan Gosling doesn't have much to say, he doesn't have to say much for you to know what he's thinking. He's tough, he's serious, he's all business. But then when he's with Irene (played by Carey Mulligan) he'll have a subtle smile cross his face in a quiet moment, and you know he's not all ice under that exterior. Speaking of Carey Mulligan, I thought she did a good job as the single mom who is then torn between two men who seem to be good guys stuck in bad situations. As a side note, I'd just like to say I enjoyed seeing Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) and the always awesome Ron Perlman as strong side characters.

I didn't expect to see Christina Hendricks to show up, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise

The action consists of some great car chases, and some of the most brutal gun and fist fights I've seen in a long time! I really liked the car chase at the start of the film. It wasn't an all out speed-fest, but it was still fun and quite suspenseful if you can believe it. I was definitely on the edge of my seat, and there are some good shocks a few times. When I say the fights are brutal, I don't use the word lightly. This is definitely not a movie for kids, but if you're like me and you love a good brutal action scene, then this is going to be a film for you.

I can't recommend Drive strongly enough after my own experience. It had a cool indie feel to it. Seemed unique and original, with smart characters and a slick script. The action was great, but it wasn't all action, and the drama that it had was heartfelt and true feeling. If there's anything I learned from the driver, you don't mess with a scorpion!

The jacket will go down in history