Writing Project 2: Movie Review (Draft) Expository Writing
Monday, September 30th, 2013 MWF 9:10-10:05a
Jarret L. Green Peck Hall 315
Gosling Drives to the Top in this Fairytale Thriller
Drive, based on the novel by James Sallis, is a new and refreshing take on an action-thriller that will leave you emotionally attached and, instead of just witnessing a film, you find it easy to care about the story. The unnamed hero, played by Ryan Gosling, is elegantly violent but all in good cause. Instead of the countless number of films we've seen with cheesy computer generated images and dim-witted acting followed by heavy profanity and gruesome violence, we're given …show more content…
We learn that he is a getaway driver and goes by a strict policy: “You give me a time and a place, I give you a five minute window. Anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours. No matter what. Anything happens a minute either side of that and you're on your own.” Making it look easy, we learn his Steve McQueen coolness is represented in his driving by outsmarting the chasers and easily exploiting the L.A. concrete jungle. By day, he is a stunt driver for Cranston's character and seems to be just as calm and collected as his night job. In the beginning he seems to have few emotions, which seemed annoying, but that feeling quickly fled. We learn that his emotions may be concealed, but have no lack of depth. This is evident when the Driver meets romantic interest, Irene, and shows us a smile and his ever present toothpick seems to twitch, giving away a glimmer of light in his soul. The talented and mysterious characters, who have their own personal vendettas and goals, seem to represent classic Hollywood and the idea that a movie breathes not just through the hero, but the hero's shadows. Irene is a mirror for vulnerability and her son, Benecio, seems to capture the Driver's affection which attracts our attention to the construction of the relationship. However, when Irene's husband, Standard, returns from prison the sincere feelings are quickly hidden but …show more content…
Refn, the director, wanted to emulate the character's feeling to the viewers, so he used low angles and minimal views for a dramatic effect to focus on the acting instead of the driving. In the silent elevator scene, the viewer is shown two personality types of the Driver: sensitive and viciously protective. This moment is defining, it shows us how the Driver can easily go from doting to psychopath and how far he will go to protect loved