Drive (2011)

Ryan Gosling stars as a mysterious stuntman/getaway driver in Nicolas Winding Refn's 2011 thriller adapted from James Sallis' novel of the same name. Gosling leads a cast that includes Bryan Cranston, Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac as he leads these characters down a path of violence and destruction.

A young, nameless Hollywood stuntman (Ryan Gosling) who moonlights as a getaway driver begins to get close with his neighbour, Irene (Carey Mulligan), and her son Benicio (Kaden Leos). But when Irene's husband is released from prison, 'Driver' is dragged into a world of violence, crime and heists and must now do everything in his power to protect Irene and Benicio when it all goes wrong.

Replacing Hugh Jackman, Ryan Gosling takes the character of 'Driver' from page to screen, projecting him with a cold, icy exterior. Gosling does a great job bringing the character to life, showing both sides of his complex persona. On one hand, you have a cold, callous Driver, and on the other, you have the warmer, kinder man. Bryan Cranston stars alongside Gosling as Driver's mentor/boss. His chatty personality contrasts completely with Gosling's, with Driver only speaking 116 lines over the 100 minutes. Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman star as the film's antagonists, the mobsters that drag Gosling down into the horrific world of crime and violence whilst on a path of destruction and death. Carey Mulligan plays Irene, a character whose only real purpose is to give Driver something to fight for and motivate him.

As well as dealing with tense action, 'Drive' also manages to deal with themes that revolve around human nature, including romance, desire and heroism. The costume design links to the film's themes. Throughout the film, Gosling's character can be seen wearing the same white silk jacket that features a yellow scorpion on the back. Now not only does the colour of the jacket contrast with Driver's entire person, but the scorpion is a clear reference to the fable of The Scorpion and The Frog. Essentially, this argues that even though you may help someone, they may still turn around to sting you. Even if you completely disregard the fable, the idea of a scorpion still links to themes of evil, death, and destruction. All of which follows Driver throughout the film.

Nicolas Winding Refn deciding to take 'Drive' down the indie route as opposed to the original idea of a big-budget blockbuster, was arguably the better route to take for the film. The smooth shot scenes and pretty cinematography would most likely crash with the explosive, intense genre.

However, ask viewers what surprised them about the film, the most common answer would probably be that within the last 20-30 minutes of the film, it almost turns into a well-shot slasher film. Violent, gory deaths seem to be Refn's main focus in the film's climax. But all these murders play into the dominant theme of human nature because at one point, these men were colleagues or acquaintances, but now they're all brutally killing each other.

All in all, 'Drive' is a gorgeously shot film that showcases brilliant performances and heavy themes. Nicolas Winding Refn gives viewers a great piece of cinema that resonates with films like 'Thief', 'A Bittersweet Life' and 'The Place Beyond The Pines'. The latter of which also features Gosling playing the role of a stuntman.