Analysis: Drive

Analysis: Drive 

'Drive' is the most critically and commercially successful noir film of the the last decade, and the film's anti-hero/lead character, played by Ryan Gosling, is among the most interesting in the genre's history. The film features incredible direction, cinematography and editing, following the noir cliche of placing a huge emphasis on style. 

The film opens with the song 'Tick of the Clock' by the Chromatics, as a form of tension building, while also hinting at the film being somewhat of a thriller as well. The opening scene contains Gosling's character informing his employers, over the phone, of his rules while performing a job. He appears incredibly organised and precise, diverting slightly from the codes and conventions of the genre. The noir lead character is usually deeply flawed, disorganised, and with some kind of relationship or drinking problem etc. During this scene he stirs out of the window at neon lights, a common feature in many neo-noirs since the 1970s, while in a dark room projecting his shadow onto the window. This looks like a colour version of something pulled straight from classic 40s noir, as the dark room with the shining neon light almost creates the same effect as high contrast black and white, showing both a darker and lighter side to the film's hero. When Gosling's character is picking up the car for his next job we are informed that he does not smoke, rendering him to be almost the complete opposite of the traditional noir character, whether it is Robert Mitchum in 'Out of the Past' or Jack Nicholson in 'Chinatown'. 

What follows is a suspenseful car chase that is almost identical to, and a clear homage to, the chase sequence from the 'The Driver', a noir-like film from the 70s. During this scene the camera never leaves the inside of Gosling's car, as this film constantly tries to give the viewer an insight into the mind of the character. It is unusual for a noir film to open in such a thrilling way. The only other notable noir film with this kind of opening is the Orson Welles film 'Touch of Evil', from 1958. During the chase sequence, Gosling keeps to himself, hardly saying a word to the other members on the job. This shows us that he has the persona of a loner, fitting in with the trope of most noir heroes being that way. After a well executed escape from the police, Gosling immediately ditches the car and the other members on the job, as well as changing his attire. This implies that the character tries not to get too close to anything or anyone in his life. It becomes evident why later in the film. The opening credits then appear to the song 'Nightcall' by Kavinsky, an electronic/synth heavy song. This is a fairly conventional song choice for this type of film as a number of neo-noirs, e.g. 'Blade Runner', 'Heat' and 'Mulholland Drive', contain this kind of synth heavy music on their soundtracks. 

'Drive' will, more than likely, go on to be the most memorable noir film of the 2010s.