‘Drive’
Spoiler: This analysis of the film ‘Drive’ discusses specific plot details and is dependent on you having already seen the film.
Some heroes are real. (Byline from the film poster.)
‘Drive’ is a look into the very soul or nature of what we commonly consider archetype heroes and throws it back in our face. If you want to be as confident as 007, or as cool as James Dean, then this is what you need to be capable of: complete mayhem.
That’s real. And so is ‘Drive’s delineation away from traditional story telling.
Like a good audience we quickly fall for our nameless lead’s charms. Based off the audience reaction itself, frankly no one expected the dark path the film runs down. I wouldn’t be surprised if others came in expecting an edgier version of ‘The Transporter’, maybe even a more true-to-life version. Little did we realize that’s exactly what we got.
Brooding over this film has highlighted several points. One, true life characters seldom change. Two, dreams don’t always become reality. Three, even the good die.
Truth
Falling for this lead character is a bad idea. In truth, we’re led to for the first half of the film. We’re drawn to him and his quiet nature, only to realize what it might actually take for a person like this to exist.
The scorpion stings the frog, it’s in its nature. Shannon will always be unlucky, Nino is always inclined to revenge, and Irene will always fall for the wrong guy. It’s why Shannon dies, Nino goes after the driver, and why Irene knocks on his door at the end of the film edging forgiveness.
Dreams
$300,000 for a Nascar seems like a dream come true. You have the driver, you have the car, next we should expect something from out of ‘Days of Thunder’. Instead we barely touch the car. There is no escaping the character’s true reality. They’re in too deep, with lessening chance of escape. Or in our leads case, if you do, it’s just barely, and with surprise.
Standard dreams of escaping his debt, living the rest of his life in peace with his family, with his son. That’s a dream quickly crushed. Shannon dreams of escaping his ill fortune by finally finding an honest way out. Unfortunately it’s with the wrong people. Irene meets someone she shares a deep connection with. He turns out to be pretty twisted.
In this film, dreams die just as readily as characters.
Death
In an arguably noble film Standard and Blanche (girl from Mad Men) wouldn’t have died. In some last ditch dashing effort our driver would have pulled them to safety, maybe harmed slightly but not dead.
Truth, again, cycles. There is no hero strong enough to defy reality.
We come to lack surprise even in the lead characters possible death. The final scenes are still a visceral shock to our systems, but the equality of it fits. We’ve become desensitized from the film, and seemingly find release in even the driver’s death.
Towards the final scene with his leg slumped out of the car, and eyes fixed as if testing the audience to blink first, we still linger on the hope of his survival, but come to understand even otherwise, it’s still a final moment, an end to a completely chaotic situation.
Peaceful even.
Further reading:
Christopher Orr - A High-Octane ‘Drive’
