Drive, the masterpiece by Nicolas Winding Refn, was definitely sold as more of an action-packed thrill ride than it actually is.
Don’t get me wrong, Drive is an amazing movie. But it’s not 2 Fast 2 Furiousmeets Goodfellas.
I’d already seen and loved the Pusher trilogy, Bronson, and Valhalla Rising. I knew what to expect from a Refn film. Slow burns and meditative pacing punctuated by dramatic bursts of violence.
I was so excited about Drive that I convinced five of my friends to go with me on opening night. We hate going to movies on opening night, but I promised this one was going to be amazing. I kept turning my head to see if they were enjoying themselves. Each one sat there grim-faced the entire movie, and afterward asked me in chorus, “What the hell was that?”
Hello, only the best movies ever! Plus the sweet gift of Ryan Gosling’s star-making turn as the titular Driver. Gosling is the gift that keeps on giving, isn’t he?
Watching the trailer again, I see that all the scenes are in the movie, and there’s no real bait-and-switch. But I do think it fails to suggest the actual pacing of the movie, and promises one bang-up action set piece after another.