Chuck Power

ENGL 101

14 March 2016

Phillips

A Closer Look at Drive

Drive is a film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, starring Ryan Gosling in the leading role. It tells the story of a man, whose name is never given (the Driver), as he seeks a normal, quiet life compared to the life of crime he now leads. He works as a stunt driver and mechanic by day and a getaway driver by night. He soon falls in love with his neighbor, Irene, which changes everything for him. This film has a ton of subtle clues into Driver's psyche and struggle throughout the movie. Drive is a movie that has very little to do with driving and more to do with the characters and, perhaps, what drives the Driver.

For most of the movie, Driver wears his signature jacket. On the back of this jacket is a symbol. A golden scorpion. In several scenes in this movie there is a close up of the scorpion on his back, such as the opening of the movie and at the end of the elevator scene that was just discussed. The meaning of the scorpion is later elaborated on later in the film when Driver is talking to the mob boss Bernie. He asks Bernie if he has heard the story of the Scorpion and the Frog and says that Bernie's friend, Nino, did not make it across the river. To give a brief summary, in the story of the Scorpion and the Frog the scorpion asks a reluctant frog to take it across the river on the agreement he will not sting the frog because it would doom them both. Halfway across the river, the scorpion does sting the frog and as they both drown the scorpion reasons that it is in his nature. The moral of the story is that some things cannot deny doing what is in their nature, no matter the consequences or how hard they try to suppress their nature. The Driver is quite literally the scorpion of the film, obviously being represented by his scorpion jacket. No matter how much he wants to do good and have a normal life, he will always have his life of crime rear it's ugly head, stinging him and everyone he loves, causing them to drown.

A few scenes in this movie show us the perspective of the characters involved. They give us an idea of how these characters are feeling at certain points. A good example of this would be when Irene's ex-convict husband, Standard, returns home from prison, much to the Driver's chagrin. A party is thrown in celebration of Standard's return home which Driver does not attend. Instead, he is alone in his own apartment next door, working on a car part in a dimly lit room, with the bass of the song "Under Your Spell" by Desire playing in the background. As Standard gives a toast to Irene, it is made fairly obvious that she is thinking of Driver. That point is driven home when the scene switches back to Driver, looking sullen and thinking of Irene. The song playing early is also brought to the foreground, connecting these two characters in their longing for one another. This scene gives us the perspective of how these two yearn for one another and the darkness and emptiness of Driver's apartment illustrates the loneliness he must feel.

Driver is seen as a character always in control. Not only does he always seem calm and collected, a single shot in the opening establishes this. As soon as the picture fades in you can see his plan on a map for the getaway, every detail drawn out. This is a man who is extremely good at what he does. Not once during the whole opening scene of him evading the cops does he look nervous or worried. He pulls off his plan brilliantly and perfectly. It makes it all the more jarring later to see Driver in a panicked state. He shows up to Irene's door with a worried expression on his face, his hair is a mess, and the collar on his signature jacket is crooked (possibly reflective of his crooked psyche?). His appearance in this scene portrays Driver at his lowest low. His hopes for a quiet life with this woman and her son are dashed again by the criminal underworld dragging him back down.

The last elevator scene in this movie has by far the most imagery. All three previous elevator scenes in Drive have the elevator going up. These are representative of the Driver's life getting better. The first elevator scene he passes by Irene, the second one he talks to her for the first time, and the third one is where he starts to really get to know Irene and her son, Benicio. From then on the Driver and Irene's relationship grows stronger until the last elevator scene. Both the Driver and Irene enter the elevator to go down with a mysterious man inside. Driver soon realizes that this man was sent to kill the both of them and realizes that by taking this hitman out he will ruin his relationship with Irene. He seizes the moment by kissing her for the first time, made all the more intense by the slow motion of the scene and the lighting, making the two of them seem to glow. Then the movie is back in real time and the lighting goes back to normal as Driver savagely beats this man to death, taking out all his anger and frustration on this man. The sudden change in the scene shows a stark contrast. The doors open and Irene backs out of the elevator in horror while Driver turns around, giving her a broken look. The scene ends with the elevator doors quite literally separating them. Driver's chance at a normal life had been ruined and that would be the last time he would see Irene.

Another theme through Drive is Driver's desire to do right and be a hero and his struggle with this. Driver's struggle with becoming a good person is beautifully illustrated in a conversation he has with Benicio while they watch a cartoon. Driver asks how Benicio knows the shark in the cartoon is the bad guy and Benicio tells him there are no good sharks and "just look at him? Does he look like a good guy to you?"(Drive). Right after saying that, Driver looks somewhat hurt as if Benicio was talking about him. Driver feels he is the bad guy, the shark, and wants to defy his ways. That is why he goes as far as to ask Benicio if there are any good sharks. He tries again and again in the movie to do good, but something always goes south. He tries to get Standard some money so gangsters will not threaten him or his family, but Standard dies during the robbery. He saves Irene and himself in the elevator, but brutally kills a man in front of Irene, ruining their relationship. He finally gets it right at the end by killing Bernie at the end and not taking the mob money for himself. He has killed all the bad guys, keeping Irene and Benicio safe. And to emphasize his actions the film's theme, "A Real Hero" by College featuring Electric Youth, plays as Driver drives into the night.

Drive is a movie that deals with what drives the protagonist more than anything else.  This is definitely a film that you have to stop and mull over to fully appreciate and not like your typical action movie with car chases. It is a well-crafted movie that gives a look into a mysterious man's dream to settle down, or maybe to even be a hero. There are various things throughout the film that are subtle, visual cues that give more meaning to a scene and give hints to what these characters are feeling and to what this all means. A lot of the film is told through emotions rather than words. The overarching plot is Driver's drive to change his ways, but that plot directly conflicts with what seems to be the movie's theme: one cannot ignore their nature, no matter the cost. Together, these make for an entertaining and thought-provoking film that shows a lot more than it tells.

Works Cited

Drive. Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn. FilmDistrict, 2011. Film.
