Drive (2011)

"Drive", as seen by IMDb is the best movie that came out this year. Based on the theory that the titles mentioned there in top 250 worth a look I can confirm it's not lost time (but for the best movie of 2011 up to now I'm a bit reserved ...). As a genre is somewhere between a noir film and a thriller. The story is simple ...

... And it's centered over a short period of time from the life of a guy who's working as daily job in an auto service having occasional contracts for movie stunts, and in parallel he's making also some money as a driver for illegal heists. I wouldn't say more because as I mentioned the plot is quite simple. The base idea is that when things start to get brighter for his future as a possible race driver, his extra hours (= the 2nd job above) that he decides to do for helping somebody, mess up pretty much everything. I'll stop here with the story and I'll say just that I find it interesting that the movie is based on a bool (interesting in the sense that I can't imagine how thick is the book). That's actually the part that for me seemed to drag it down and which stops me to fully recommend it. The subject itself is just too thin, and maybe I wouldn't have a problem with this, but if I think long enough I guess I'll find some other movies that match quite well the same line. Fortunately this subject is after all "placed" inside a movie ...

Which movie I can say it's brilliantly made from lots of points of view. First, I have to say that it's slow paced, which part is clearly sustained by the editing (you have a lot of "nothing happens silent scene" intertwined with the others), and also which part is probably potentially boring for some viewers, but for is ok as it is because it brings a necessary contrast for the violence degree (the movie is rated R by the way). The second aspect is the cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel, who has some known movies in his CV ("The Usual Suspects", "Valkyrie", etc) but nothing to come close to what you get here. I'll use a cliche because I don't find any other way to express it now: it's a visual feast from the beginning to the end. You have lots of scenes so nicely shot that at some moment I was actually having the impression that I'm seeing something similar to one of those continuous promos you get at the Oscars or in some other places showing something like "well known distinctive scenes from various movies". I could say more here and even try to analyze one or two, because there is also a possibility for interpreting them left quite often, but I'll resume myself to a mini spoiler after the trailer = just half from one of probably the best sequences in the movie. The third point that has a major contribution to the whole result is the score. I would be pleased if I would see at least a nomination at the next year's Oscars for Cliff Martinez, which would confirm after this year's Trent Reznor, that we have a new wave of synth based stuff a la '80s but brought to the level of the current time. Anyway, besides this part the movie has also integrated a number of excellently chosen songs (used in a way that seems a bit like Tarantino style). Overall, it is the best soundtrack I've heard this year ( you can get a glimpse of it below ;) ).

There would be also other stuff to be said. About the sound editing or the actors for instance (I would expect to see some nominations for Albert Brooks, in an excellent villain role), but I don't have much more time for writing :) To draw a line, I still have the minus given by the thin story and also the fact that the movie was mainly appreciated for the directing. I could go with this if I wouldn't have seen not very long ago "Valhalla Rising" by the same guy, and I'm really afraid that here is more about the independent decision of each responsible with the above mentioned parts than a general direction given by the director (and I could also add to have more, that there are a couple of scenes which are exaggerated theatrical, and break a bit the cold noir feeling). Anyway, it's a movie to be seen ;) ...

Rating: 4 out of 5