The pre-credits opening scene is great, and sets the tone of the movie,
complete with night shots of L.A. that are truly stunning. The driver
(never named, who works during the day as a movie stunt driver, but at
night as a getaway driver for hire) spells out his credo to his clients
on a burner phone before the gig: "I give you a five minute window.
Anything happens in that five minutes, and I'm yours, no matter what.
Anything happens a minute on the other side of that, and you're on your
own." Then he just waits patiently outside the scene of the crime and
drives the getaway car, listening to the ball game on the radio the
whole time, which seems like an affectation or carelessness, but is
neither. When the five minutes are over, he is free (and richer) and so
are his clients.
This is all SO film noir, and so is the film itself. I was reminded of
Michael Mann's "Thief" many times, and that is a compliment. Even the
music and the use of it is very Michael Mann-like. L.A. is the only
possible location for a noir thriller, and is photographed beautifully.
But the director's sensibilities are Danish, and as a result there are
moments that elevate the classic noir formula to new levels; there is a
scene in an elevator that is high art.
Written by Hossein Amini (writer of "The Four Feathers," the overlooked
"Killshot" and a questionable upcoming remake of the "47 Ronin" that
mindbogglingly stars Keanu Reeves), and tightly-directed by Nicolas
Winding Refn ("Valhalla Rising," "Bronson"), this flick won him Best
Director at Cannes, and is a very watchable noir thriller, if you like
that sorta thing. I do. I also like great car stunts, and this one's got
them.
What it's also got is an awesome cast, including Ryan Gosling as the
eponymous driver, Carey Mulligan as the love interest (every noir film
needs a love interest), Bryan Cranston,
Albert Brooks, Christina Hendricks, and Ron Perlman.
Good film. A worthy addition to the canon of film noir.
