The story of The Scorpion and The Frog opens with a dilemma; Frog needs to cross the river and the only one to help is Scorpion. Being a nice creature, Scorpion offers to carry Frog across the river on his back. Frog is hesitant. He tells Scorpion that he is worried he will be stung and die. Scorpion reassures Frog by pointing out that if he stings Frog, and Frog dies, Scorpion will drown under the weight of Frog's body. Frog agrees and the two journey across the river. A short while later, Scorpion stings Frog. While the two drown, Frog manages to ask Scorpion why he would sting him, if surely that meant his own demise. Scorpion responds that it is his nature.
During the opening credits of Drive, I realized I was watching a film which would be combining multiple stylistic features. Whether this would prove noteworthy, or just a shamble of too many ideas that couldn't make it to the cutting room floor, I would soon discover. Within the first ten minutes of the film, I had already been privy to an interesting aspect of a heist chase, eighties style opening credits (endearing for someone like me...), and the beginning of a film noir piece. All excellent styles of filmmaking, and in someway, all working perfectly well together.
Typically judgemental as I am, I did instantly think how awesome this film would be if directed by Michael Mann. As the helicopter shots zoomed through the streets of LA, I called back to the saturated film of Collateral, thinking that Drive might benefit from a more visually integral director. Okay, let me explain myself to everyone who's seen the film and is currently throwing tomatoes at me through the screen. It was the first TEN minutes, I had no idea who Nicolas Winding Refn was before Drive, and I had no idea what the next 110 minutes would be. During minute 11, Refn had me in every way a director can.
The greatest feat as a director (from a viewer's point of view) is if the style of the film becomes secondary and the essence of the emotion, the action, the drive of the characters is primary. Refn succeeded in bringing forth the importance of the story. Refn balanced the darkness and stoic nature of film noir, with the brutality of an action film, while underlying a sincere loneliness between Gosling and Mulligan.
The film Drive, and the brilliance of Refn's directing, cannot be discussed without delving into the dichotomy of Gosling's character. The film itself is a dichotomy of style, but Gosling channels an unprecedented duality of stoic heroism and shocking violence. The man who is passionate about helping others, the rescuer of damsels, and he truly cares for those people in his life. Shannon (played by a brilliantly subtle Bryan Chranston) as his unlucky mentor, Irene (Mulligan) as the endearingly naive love interest, and her young son Benicio (Kaden Leos), are figures that Gosling dedicates himself to protecting at any cost. The desire to help these characters, as with the Scorpion's desire to aid the Frog, leads the driver's true nature to arise. The violence Gosling captures is only affected by the constant desire of love for those he is helping. Although the luck of the draw may never fall in his favour, Gosling's unnamed character will break through any barrier to make those he cares for safe, even if those actions lead him to the very true nature he embodies; that of violence.
The moment that sold me on Gosling's performance was the emotion emanating through his stare at Mulligan after he kicks a man's skull in, in an effort to protect her. She sees his true essence, but his incomprehension of her fear leads you to believe he doesn't understand his wrongdoings. He sees his violence as a means to an end, and the confusion as to why someone would look at him in horror when he regards his actions as that of love, solidified my admiration for Gosling's talent. He captured the stoicism and horrific nature of the driver, a true Scorpion.
I'm glad the film was transferred from being labelled a blockbuster to that of an independent film. The underlying essence of the film is captured through silent moments and the grainy, hard-hitting style of film noir was much more presented through smaller production companies than it would have been through larger corporate companies. Had Paramount, or Universal gotten their paws on Drive, it would have been directed by Mann (not a bad thing, just not fitting for the overall style of the film) or hype up the action and violence instead of digging in to the duality of the character. There would have been no film noir, no quiet moments, no long pans on Gosling that left an eerie sensation in me. The film would have been thirty minutes shorter and Gosling would probably have a spunky sidekick. The right production companies got on board, with the right actors, and the perfect director. Each cog in the machine of Drive created a production I couldn't have asked for anything more.
**Photo Credit www.collider.com // Gosling with director Refn
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