Though he has had some memorable roles in the past, after his work in this past summer’s Crazy, Stupid, Love. and the upcoming political drama The Ides of March, Ryan Gosling’s popularity and reputation in Hollywood have both absolutely skyrocketed. The young actor has more than proven his capability in the drama genre, but Drive would represent his first true experimentation as an action hero. Critical reception was almost universally positive, but the elephant in the room involved the fact that the premise of the film closely resembled the Transporter series that was made famous by Jason Statham. With a strong cast that included Ron Perlman, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, and Albert Brooks, it was clear that Drive wouldn’t be a cheap knock-off; in fact, there was a strong chance that this newest action action-drama would overshadow the original Transporter films. Being a fan of Gosling’s, with prevalent advertisements and a definite surprise-indie-hit tone to it, I was looking forward to reviewing Drive.
Not only is Ryan Gosling convincing as a no-nonsense courier, but he also unleashes enough brutality to prevent anyone from ever questioning his appearance in an action film again. Gosling’s acting may be strong, but the character he ultimately portrays is a little too stoic to qualify as the type of anti-hero that a mass-audience would actively support, and the villains of the film are far more engaging. And, for a film titled “Drive,” there is actually not that much driving…don’t get me wrong, there is enough action and the opening sequence is brilliant, but the pacing of the film is decidedly uneven and makes the overall project much slower than one would have expected. Some of the more disappointing elements include the shamefully brief appearance of Christina Hendricks and the ridiculously misplaced soundtrack, but in its entirety, Drive is still more than worth seeing. I just feel that you deserve fair warning, Drive is not a thrill-a-minute action flick; it is a patient and emotional study of a mysterious character reacting to the unfortunate events unfolding.
Overall Recommendation: High
