2011 Movie Reviews

Mini Review: Drive

Evan Crean

Drive Poster
“Drive” Courtesy of FilmDistrict and Bold Films

After hearing all the hype about “Drive,” I couldn’t believe how much I hated it.  It starts out promising: director Nicolas Winding Refn has some cool backseat perspectives of the driver (Ryan Gosling), and a sleek electronic soundtrack gives his shots of LA a seedy, neon glow.

However the directing quickly becomes pretentious, since Refn frequently reuses the same types of shots.  Then the 80s style pop starts to feel COMPLETELY wrong, especially when you’re hit by unexpected, excessive violence on screen.  These things would be more tolerable though, if the film effectively built dramatic tension up surrounding the driver’s confrontation with the bad guys.  Instead, it remains on one flat note throughout, making the whole pace of the movie sag.

My Grade: C-

Evan Crean

Hello! My name is Evan Crean. By day I work for a marketing agency, but by night, I’m a film critic based in Boston, MA. Since 2009, I have written hundreds of movie reviews and celebrity interviews for Starpulse.com. I have also contributed pieces to NewEnglandFilm.com and to The Independent, as a writer and editor. I maintain an active Letterboxd account too. In addition to publishing short form work, I am a co-author of the book Your ’80s Movie Guide to Better Living, which is available on CreateSpace and Amazon. The book is the first in a series of lighthearted self-help books for film fans, which distills advice from ’80s movies on how to tackle many of life’s challenges. On top of writing, I co-host and edit the weekly film podcast Spoilerpiece Theatre with two other Boston film critics. I’m a founding member and the current treasurer for the Boston Online Film Critics Association as well. This site, Reel Recon.com, is a one-stop-shop where you can find links to all of my past and present work. Have any questions or comments after checking it out? Please feel free to email me (Evan Crean) at: ecrean AT reelrecon DOT COM .

2 thoughts on “Mini Review: Drive”

  • I feel a little bit guilty saying that Drive needed more driving. When the action comes it is tense and artfully done without shying away from the extreme violence, but that all starts to go away as soon as the characters start talking, or sighing and looking at each other. Nice review.

  • My first time here. Awesome blog and super post. Well done.

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