Saturate
Me to Drive publicist: “I’ve seen that ‘my hands are dirty’ / ‘So are mine’ clip maybe 10 or 12 times. I’m actually tired of seeing it. Would it kill the powers-that-be to come up with a scene that hasn’t made the rounds quite as much?” Drive publicist: “Hahaha…we have a bunch more coming out. Stay tuned!”
I just want to see Drive without having to pay for the Sucklight’s shitty prices and without having to make a long-ass commute to Century City. Can it play at the Chinese or The Grove, so I have an actual fucking choice again?
I’m guessing they’re being chintzy with clips because it’s almost IMPOSSIBLE to sell this to the mainstream. We’re talking bottom-of-the-barrel F-Cinemascore ratings. Not because it’s bad (it’s not) but because this shit is BLEAK, NIHILISTIC and UTTERLY UNINTERESTED in any sort of joy or pleasure that you could get from this sort of action revenge plot.
I’m going to sound a little like D.Z. here (“People won’t like Drive because it Ryan Gosling reminds people too much of Broderick in Biloxi Blues”) but the vibe I got from Drive was not unlike what I get from some wayward anime. Larger than life, candy-coated colors, sick, vulgar ultraviolence and utterly flimsy logic. If you told me this was a movie based on a manga called “Robozira Car Go Fast” I wouldn’t have blinked.
I’m very happy that a movie this distinct can get a decent release from FilmDistrict. But man, the general public backlash is going to be HUGE. If the Neil Marshall-Hugh Jackman version of this movie would have came out, it would have been a very cool crowd-pleaser. But Refn’s kind of a goddamned pervert, and this is easily the most sinister genre film I’ve seen all year. I can’t imagine anyone expecting a no-frills actioner will come out pleased at all.
all of what gabe has said above has gotten me even more excited for this film. i am not sure if that’s possible. have said it before and will say it again — after the pusher trilogy, fear x, bronson, and valhalla, how could anyone expect anything less than greatness from refn?
Wait, this is the car chase film Neill Marshall was attached to? That’s like finding out Tony Scott was going to direct Tree of Life but left the project and Malick signed on.