15 Years Ago Today: One Of The Best Neo-Noir Thrillers Ever Made Arrived In Theaters
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There was a period in the 2000s and 2010s when neo-noir cinema felt like it was all the rage. Bringing back the dark cynicism of the '40s and '50s but dressing it up for modern audiences, the genre has a lot to offer. Some of the best neo-noir movies of all time were made during this stretch. In 2011, director Nicolas Winding Refn delivered one of the very best examples of the genre.
15 years ago, "Drive" hit theaters and earned an instant classic label. And with very good reason. The film is led by Ryan Gosling who, at the time, was known a bit more as a handsome Hollywood leading man, breaking it big with movies like "The Notebook." Here, though? He put on his dark and gritty charm, offering up a performance we'd never quite seen from him before, proving he was way, way more than just his good looks and meme-ability. Gosling and Refn made "Drive" the ultimate sleek and sexy neo-noir thrill ride.
The movie centers on the unnamed "Driver" (Gosling), a skilled Hollywood stuntman with an icy exterior who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. As of late, he's been warming up to his pretty neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her young son. When Irene's husband (Oscar Isaac) gets out of jail, he enlists Driver for a heist, which goes terribly wrong. Driver is forced to risk his life to protect Irene and her boy from vengeful criminals.
Refn was coming off of the prison drama "Bronson" and "Valhalla Rising," one of the best Viking movies ever made, but both of which were relatively small hits. This star-studded, action-filled crime flick represented his chance to break big and get onto the mainstream radar. He made the most of it.
Drive was the right movie for the right people at the right time
"Drive" was, in retrospect, a miraculous intersection of the right movie for the right people at the exact right time. Ryan Gosling was rapidly becoming one of Hollywood's A-list stars, but this offered him the chance to showcase his range as a legitimately great actor. A quiet, largely subdued performance, it remains a crown jewel for him and is one of Gosling's best movies, right alongside the likes of "Barbie" and "Project Hail Mary."
For Nicolas Winding Refn, the film gave him big enough budget to flex his skills, with an audience-friendly concept, albeit one that still lent itself to showcasing his style. It worked like gangbusters, resulting in something that was impossible to ignore. The trailer alone was so slick it was hard to deny. Refn's "Drive" earned praise at Cannes and it was off to the races from there.
But the supporting cast was all at crucial points as well. It was an early breakout role for Oscar Isaac. This was Carey Mulligan at the height of her powers. Christina Hendricks popped in as she was breaking out on "Mad Men." Bryan Cranston was in the midst of "Breaking Bad" and turned in a heroic supporting performance. Ron Perlman, one of the sturdiest character actors around, shows up and does his thing.
Then there's Albert Brooks. The comedy legend, who doesn't act nearly as much as we'd all like him to, delivered an Oscar-worthy turn as the criminal Bernie Rose. He's so effortlessly charming and disarming, yet believably dangerous. He's the ingredient that takes the movie from great to all-time great. His lack of an Oscar nomination for this movie remains a crime to this day.
Nicolas Winding Refn never captured that Drive magic again
With the benefit of hindsight, this is a staggering lineup of talent in the same place all at once, with an absolute madman behind the camera pulling it all together.
"Drive" is singularly slick. The synth-heavy soundtrack still rings loudly to this day. The dirty look with the occasional neon imagery stands out like a sore thumb in the best of ways. It's mainstream enough to be very entertaining, yet artsy enough to feel genuinely special. It wasn't watered down by the Hollywood machine, but it somehow managed to be accessible enough to reach the masses. Not to mention that ridiculous yet undeniably cool scorpion jacket. It feels like a miracle, especially in light of how Nicolas Winding Refn's career has gone in the years since.
Refn isn't a guy who makes crowd-pleasers. He re-teamed with Ryan Gosling for "Only God Forgives," with that memorable "Wanna fight?" red-band trailer. But the movie itself wasn't nearly as accessible as "Drive." That's not necessarily a bad thing, but Refn only got more transgressive as time went on. "The Neon Demon" was particularly challenging and one of very few movies I've ever personally damn near walked out of.
The director's most recent work, "Her Private Hell," was called a "confounding, gorgeous fairy tale" by /Film's Bill Bria, which is more in line with what Refn has come to deliver. Looking back, it's frankly staggering that he managed to make something that was so definitively representative of the filmmaker that he is, but that was also as mainstream as it ended up being. It's too perfect to be a happy accident, but whatever it is, we should all be thankful it exists.