Skip to main content

Dome Pondering Movie Review: Drive (2011)

What is it about?

A mysterious and introverted stuntman, mechanic, and professional getaway driver must work him self out of trouble in attempt to help a neighbor and her kid, whom he has become fond of.

Who is in it?

Ryan Gosling - Driver

Carey Mulligan - Irene

Bryan Cranston - Shannon

Favorite Scene:

After a robbery goes terrible,  the driver takes off with an accomplice of the robbery who escaped. After a chase scene, they find safety for a few moments before they come under gunfire from someone who is out to get them. 

Favorite Quote: 

Driver: [watching a cartoon] Is he a bad guy?
Benicio: Yeah.
Driver: How can you tell?
Benicio: Because he's a shark.
Driver: There's no good sharks? 

Review: 

Drive is a film that has been acclaimed by many. It has been heralded as one of the better films that was not nominated for an Oscar in 2011. Unfortunately, for all the praise it receives, there is another side on how Drive is percieved, and that is where this review will fall. In a nut shell, Drive isn't a film for everyone.

Ryan Gosling - who is always great - does a phenomenal job in playing the mysterious, lead character, whose name is never revealed. The film goes beyond Gosling and does a great job in providing some cool chase scenes and the typical guts, gore, blood, and violence we all shamelessly love in films. 

However, what makes the film tough to watch is the slow and dull build in the first hour of the film were the relationship between Gosling's character and his relationship and ties to everyone else is formed. It is during this time where the film drags and leaves the viewer wondering, what happened to the film that started off with such intrigue and suspense in the opening getaway scene? 

Drive also adds a bit of art and poetic cinematography with it's use of an eighties-style soundtrack and lack of overall dialogue between specific characters. 

All in all, Driver is different. And for some, it maybe a beautiful love story, and for others, its a failed action movie. 

Somewhere in the middle is the truth. 

Grade: 2.75/5
Labels:

Recently Read

Dome Pondering Move Review: Say You Will (2017)

What is it about? A recent high school graduate cares for his mother while attempting to navigate his first relationship following his father's suicide.  Who is in it? Travis Tope - Sam Nimitz Katherine Hughes - Ellie Vaughn Favorite Scene: [spoiler alert] Sam plays his song for his mom. Favorite Quote: Ellie: "I wish we could have met down the road, maybe when we were like 27." Sam: "I think we needed each other now." Review:  Say You Will was an absolutely pleasant surprise of a watch from the Amazon Prime offerings.  I wasn't exactly sure what to expect with this one, but after the credits rolled, it was a movie that provided authentic characters and a great lesson on life. We don't always have to have everything figured out, and it's okay if you don't.  What makes Say You Will so beautiful is that all of the characters are carrying some inner struggle that connects them in the moment and time that helps them through whatever it is. The unlike...
Read more

The Pondering 10 - Most Fascinating Things of 2025

2025 sure did ebb and flow.  Is it just me, or did August through December zoom by? Nonetheless, we are at that time of the year again, which brings about some common traditions around these parts - the Pondering 10 Most Fascinating Things of the Year, and then the Dome Pondering Year in Review .  (Most Fascinating Things: 2015 , 2016 , 2017 , 2018 , 2019 , 2020 , 2021 ,  2022 , 2023 , & 2024 ) Life really presented itself in unique ways this year, with a sense of a deeper layer of belonging and purpose, more so than what society has reflected since the pandemic. 2025 brought a deeper understanding of life through war, disaster, politics, the human spirit, and appreciation, among other things.  We'll get into that in the Year in Review.  For now, let's run it! Here is my Most Fascinating Things list for 2025: --- 10. Marjorie Taylor Greene Oh yeah, we're going there. MJT makes the very end of the list with a recent change in political positioning. I find it ...
Read more

Dome Pondering - 2025 Year in Review

2025 brought depth and growth.  In many ways, 2025 provided so many challenges and opportunities, allowing for a deeper, more layered approach to the world we live in. Our world is changing, and often, not for the better. Over the last 365 days, life has been more complex, more exhausting, and is asking so much more of us through these transitions and nuances than it did 365 days ago.  No big deal, right?  But hey, you're here. We're here. And we're going into 2026 much stronger, whether we realize it or not. But before we do, let's bid adieu to 2025.  As always, I'm incredibly gratefu l to those of you who still visit this little speck of the internet that houses my thoughts, rambles, and learnings. Thank you for taking a break from instant dopamine hits and videos, and likely the much cooler options of prepared content and indulging my humbled words. It is much appreciated.  It's the 20th annual - TWENTY YEARS of doing this! - Dome Pondering Year in Review. Le...
Read more