#he fucking KILLED that scene with gabriel in that repair shop

[coulsons-band]

GIVE PEDRO THAT EMMY RIGHT FUCKING NOW

#pedro pascal #the last of us #tlou #hbo the last of us #tlou spoilers #there's not even a point in having a ceremony!!!! #he fucking KILLED that scene with gabriel in that repair shop #and that college they end up at in the end is 100000% based on my alma mater!!!!! #she speaks

[365days365movies]

January 22, 2021: Drive (2011)

I’m late!

Both to posting this review, and to the party. In terms of posting this review, it’s still today! So that’s good; haven’t missed a day yet! As for being late to the party, well...let’s talk about cars in movies.

Well, OK, let’s talk about transportation in movies. One of the earliest known films shown publicly was 1896’s L’arrivee d’un train en gare be La Ciotat, a film by the Lumiere Brothers with a legendary (possibly mythical) reputation. The 50-second movie features a train pulling into a station, directly towards the screen. Legend says that the moviegoers jumped out of their seats, out of the way of the oncoming train, due to their unfamiliarity with the new technology of film. Is this true? Eh. Maybe, maybe not; sorry, Hugo.

But transportation and film are closely related, is my point. 1903’s The Great Train Robbery, 1926’s The General, 1955’s Rebel Without a Cause, 1964’s Goldfinger, up until 1968’s Bullitt, which gave us this.

The classic car chase showcased in Bullitt began a new feature of the action genre: the car chase. And, no, it’s obviously not the first car chase seen in a film shot, by a country MILE. But it is arguably the first of its type, with bold maneuvers memorably showcased throughout. After this, the car chase film would eventually become more predominant. These are films in which the action takes place predominantly through car stunts and competitive driving. And I’m looking at three this month: one that’s critically acclaimed, one that’s a franchise-launcher, and one that’s...complicated. BUT FIRST

I vividly remember when this movie came out. This movie made a huge splash, which is why I say that I’m late to the party on this one. It really was the John Wick of its day, although that would happen 3 years later. So, rather than navel-gaze, it’s about time I saw this movie! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

The Driver (Ryan Gosling) is taking up a job. He picks up a pair of bank robbers, while listening intently to the police scanners and keeping track of his police pursuers. After some masterful driving, he escapes into a crowd of sports fans in a crowded stadium garage, leaving the car and the men to fend for themselves. Roll opening credits!

After work, the Driver returns home...then goes right to work, as a film stunt driver working for Shannon (Bryan Cranston), his manager, and owner of an auto shop. He also gets close to his new neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son, Benicio. He helps them with groceries, then heads to work, this time at Shannon’s garage.

Meanwhile, Shannon’s meeting with a local mobster, Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks), asking him for $430,000. His partner, Nino (Ron Perlman), comes in, fully packing an attitude and bad prior relationship with Shannon.

We next see the Driver driving a race car, presumably another of his many driving-themed jobs. A deal for $300,000 is made between Shannon and Rose for an unspecified job. Afterwards, the Driver is working as a mechanic at Shannon’s shop, where worlds collide as Irene and her son go there to get her car fixed. Afterwards, they end up going out together on a fun day out, strengthening their bond. Another date is made for the weekend.

Rose and Nino go to the garage, where we find out that the job is for a race, with the Driver...driving. We also find out about Rose, Nino, and Shannon’s prior relationships; Rose was once a film producer, and Shannon provided the cars for the stunts, overcharging him. Did the same to Nino, a gangster. That is why Shannon now walks with a prominent limp. Because he’s never been very lucky, Shannon has a lot riding on this upcoming race.

The Driver and Irene, who’ve been getting much closer, go on a date that evening. However, this is short-lived, as her husband is returning from jail in a week. It puts the rest of the evening in a somber tone, and we cut to a week later. Irene’s husband, Standard Gabriel (Oscar Isaac) has returned home to a party, while a solitary Driver is repairing a car part in his apartment, alone. He leaves, and sees Irene outside, clearly unhappy at current events. This is followed by a tense interaction between Standard and the Driver.

This leads to two things. First, the Driver gets a drink at a bar, to get over the lost relationship. He meets a guy there who offers him a job, and bitterly turns him down. When he returns to the apartments, he sees the second result: Standard’s been beaten to a bloody pulp by someone. Alive, but clearly hurting, Benicio is with him. The Driver helps Benicio first, then eventually helps out Standard as well.

Not that Standard’s particularly appreciate of this, mind you. Turns out that Standard owes protection money to a group of gangsters, and has been “asked” to rob a local pawn shop. They’ve also threatened Irene and Benicio, which naturally is of concern to the Driver. Benicio is scared, having witnessed this, and was also given a bullet by one of the men, as a warning to Standard.

The Driver goes to see Irene at her job, where he intonates what’s happened to Standard, and shows concern. However, he’s lied to Irene about the cause for the assault, leaving her in the dark about the danger that they’re in. Still, she invites Driver to dinner, to which he accepts. It’s awkward, unsurprisingly.

Back to the Driver alone, who apparently steals a car? Not sure, but that’s the implication. For Benicio and Irene, the Driver offers to help Standard, and makes a deal with Cook (James Biberi), the gangster to whom he owes money. Together with his partner, Blanche (Christina Hendricks), the job commences.

They get to the shop, and Blanche and Standard go in...but only Blanche leaves. As Standard comes out, he gets shot multiple times, killing him. The Driver, of course, takes off like a shot, but is pursued by another car in a high speed chase. He turns around and drives BACKWARDS down a stretch of highway, eventually throwing the pursuer off the road.

With Blanche, he hides out in a motel, where the initial goal of $40,000 is revealed to be far, FAR exceeded. It’s also revealed that the pawnshop owner claims that Standard acted alone, and that no money was stolen. Which is the first major indicator that something is very, VERY wrong here. And it seems like Blanche is a part of a wider conspiracy here. And the Driver is NOT happy about it.

Cook indeed set them up, planning to rip off the Driver and Standard. Blanche knew about the second car, but was unaware of the plan to kill Standard, or the large amount of money to be retrieved. So she says, anyway. I personally find that pretty hard to believe. And so does the Driver, as someone attempts to enter the motel. And, uh…

HOOOOOOO THAT IS A GRAPHIC HEADSHOT! Yeah, Blanche is FUCKED, as two armed men forcefully enter the motel room, and BOTH get killed by the Driver. What in the hell has he gotten himself into?

Somewhat injured, the Driver takes the cash and goes to Shannon’s to get sewn up. Shannon definitely seems enamored with the prospect of so much cash in the wind, but still promises that he’ll try to find out more about Cook. But the Driver doesn’t appear too willing to wait for that, as he finds the gangster behind the scenes of a strip club, and just DESTROYS his hand with a HAMMER.

Threatening to pound Benicio’s bullet into his head with the hammer, he asks whose money that ACTUALLY was, as it couldn’t have been the pawn shop’s. Turns out that, YUP, it’s NINO’S MONEY! Shit. He has someone call Nino, as he holds Cook underfoot. On the phone, he offers back the money, free of charge. Nino, unaware that this is the Driver about to race for Rose, tells his men to find out who he is.

The Driver returns home, where he tells Irene exactly what was going on with Standard. He reveals the debt, as well as his offer to help, and offers the money to her and Benicio. She’s understandably not happy. During this conversation, one of Nino’s men shows up in the elevator, as Irene and the Driver are going into it. Realizing what’s about to happen, the Driver pushes Irene aside and gives her a VERY passionately framed kiss. But what happens next...is less romantic.

The Driver has just brutally murdered this man, and I MEAN brutally. The elevator doors close between a horrified Irene and a seemingly ashamed Driver, possibly symbolizing their likely-permanent separation. But there’s a problem: how did Nino’s guy know where the Driver was?

Shannon. Stupid, STUPID Shannon told Rose, who told Nino, who told his men, who went to the apartment to kill the Driver, and probably Irene and Benicio. He confirms this to the Driver, who is RIGHTFULLY PISSED OFF. Shannon’s apologetic, having not actually realized that Nino was involved.

Nino and his men are going to be looking for the Driver now, as well as for Shannon. He tells Shannon to get out of town, and never come back. But now, the Driver’s killed one of Nino’s men as a result. But it’s even worse than that.

Turns out that the robbery was planned by Nino, and the money belonged to an East Coast mobster storing $1,000,000 in the pawnshop, secretly. So now, THEY’LL come looking for the money as well. Because of this, the only known ties to the robbery, the Driver and Shannon, have to be eliminated. Well, Cook’s also a tie, to be fair. Which is why Rose kills him IMMEDIATELY, and brutally.

The Driver, fresh out of the elevator, goes to his stuntman trailer to get a disguise. Shannon, on the other hand, is trying to escape Rose and Nino’s wrath. But unfortunately, Rose gets to him first. He tries to convince Shannon to tell him the location of the Driver, to no avail. Unfortunately, that means that Shannon’s of no use, as Rose kills him, efficiently and quickly.

The Driver finds his body, and now he has another death to avenge. He takes the money, and goes to Nino’s place, where he uses the stuntman’s disguise, and follows Nino out. And now...it’s revenge time. 

OHHHHHHH FUCK! He runs off the road, leaves them for a minute, then purposefully T-bones them! The car’s launched onto a beach, where Nino stumbles away, having survived. But not for long, as the Driver goes to kill him in the water. Afterwards, he calls Rose, and invokes the story about...the Scorpion and the Frog.

...Oh. OHHHH! HOLY SHIT, I GET IT!!!!

That’s why he wears the jacket! He’s a Scorpion! All of this killing, despite his better interest at this point, is in his nature! HA! That’s awesome! If you aren’t aware of the fable of the Scorpion and the Frog, it goes a little something...like this:

A Scorpion needs to get across a river, so he goes to a Frog. Frog’s like, “FUCK NO I look like I wanna die today? You’ll sting me as we’re going across” And the Scorpion says, “Yeah, sure, I sting you and I drown myself in the process, real smart idea on my part. C’mon, I’m not gonna sting you, just give me a ride, yeah?” Frog’s like, “OK, bet. I’ll take you across.” So Scorpion hops on Frog’s back, and they go across the river, and RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE, Scorpion stings Frog. “WHAT THE FUCK DID I SAY, GODDAMMIT,” says Frog, and Scorpion replies, “Sorry, man...it’s in my nature.” And then they both drown.

So, killing is actually the Driver’s nature. He’s always been the Scorpion, trying to hide from those abilities and tendencies. But once a threat comes along, the claws and telson come out, and it’s just STAB STAB CLAW CLAW STOMP STOMP SHOOT SHOOT from there. Cool!

Anyway, Rose agrees that things have gone too far, but also acknowledges that Irene is still aware of this situation, meaning she’s still at risk.  Subtly threatening her, Rose arranges a meeting place for the Driver to bring his sonMONEY! His sonny. I’ve been holding Finding Nemo jokes in this whole time, seriously. It’s Albert Brooks, he’s Marlin, the hell else am I gonna do?

They meet at a Chinese restaurant mentioned briefly early in the film. Rose offers the following deal: he takes the money, and Irene and Benicio are safe. The Driver, probably not, but at least she’d be safe. And he agrees...only her Rose to stab him as he gives him the money. The Driver stabs him back, killing him immediately. 

Not that the Driver’s doing much better. Stabbed in the stomach, he sits in the seat of the car, his seat. Still. He leaves the money in the parking lot...and he drives away. Irene knocks on his door, but there’s no answer. And the Driver...drives.

And that’s Drive. WOW. A lot to unpack with this one, but see you in the Epilogue for that!

#drive #drive film #nicholas winding refn #ryan gosling #bryan cranston #carey mulligan #oscar isaac #albert brooks #ron perlman #christina hendricks #action #action drama #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 Days 365 Movies #365 movies a year #user365 #usermichi #useralex #action january