When I first saw Drive I was 17 years old and it was only a year after the movie came out, which meant there was still a good bit of hype around it. It was one of those movies that created a cult following the moment it stopped being shown in theaters. Today I want to talk about how my opinion of the movie changed when I re-watched it this year, and how re-watching a movie can change your perception of it.
(Ryan Gosling's character drives a getaway car)
When I first saw the movie I thought that it was about a mysterious driver fighting against an evil mafia family in order to protect the woman he loves. I thought Ryan Gosling's unnamed character was for lack of a better word, an absolute 'bad-ass'. I wanted to be just like the cool, shiny jacket wearing, driving hero that Gosling had portrait.
(The unnamed character's most famous [and most repeated] line)
After re-watching the movie, I realized it's a film about an absolute sociopath, who works multiple shady jobs including robbing businesses, and kills almost everyone who comes too close. His reasoning for some of his actions at first seem honorable and justifiable, until your realize how insane those actions are. Take this scene, for example.
(Our hero protects the woman he loves from an evil suit)
Gosling's character feels that his life is threatened and pushes aside his love interest before kissing her. The poorly dressed mafia member then tries to attack the lovably dull couple and the satin jacket-toting driver defends them. Or at least, that's what you might think at first.
(The driver steps on the man's head 30 + times)
In reality, the driver attacks the man first because he noticed he had a gun on him. Instead of knocking him out and spouting a cheeky pun like you'd get in a bond movie, our 'hero' stomps in the other man's head until multiple crunches are heard and his leather boot is now touching the floor. His love interest runs off in horror, and because he doesn't know how to communicate normally with people, he stands there covered in blood. This is just one of many scenes that changed for me when I watched it recently, without as much of a need to focus on the intended story.
(The face of a hero? Gosling's character after another kill)
Now this isn't saying that I dislike the movie, I like it just as much as I did when I first saw it. What I'm trying to suggest it that some movies can change a lot after a few years. Re-watch that old favorite of yours again, and let me know how it held up today, and if anything changed.
(Ryan Gosling's character drives a getaway car)
When I first saw the movie I thought that it was about a mysterious driver fighting against an evil mafia family in order to protect the woman he loves. I thought Ryan Gosling's unnamed character was for lack of a better word, an absolute 'bad-ass'. I wanted to be just like the cool, shiny jacket wearing, driving hero that Gosling had portrait.
(The unnamed character's most famous [and most repeated] line)
After re-watching the movie, I realized it's a film about an absolute sociopath, who works multiple shady jobs including robbing businesses, and kills almost everyone who comes too close. His reasoning for some of his actions at first seem honorable and justifiable, until your realize how insane those actions are. Take this scene, for example.
(Our hero protects the woman he loves from an evil suit)
Gosling's character feels that his life is threatened and pushes aside his love interest before kissing her. The poorly dressed mafia member then tries to attack the lovably dull couple and the satin jacket-toting driver defends them. Or at least, that's what you might think at first.
(The driver steps on the man's head 30 + times)
In reality, the driver attacks the man first because he noticed he had a gun on him. Instead of knocking him out and spouting a cheeky pun like you'd get in a bond movie, our 'hero' stomps in the other man's head until multiple crunches are heard and his leather boot is now touching the floor. His love interest runs off in horror, and because he doesn't know how to communicate normally with people, he stands there covered in blood. This is just one of many scenes that changed for me when I watched it recently, without as much of a need to focus on the intended story.
(The face of a hero? Gosling's character after another kill)
Now this isn't saying that I dislike the movie, I like it just as much as I did when I first saw it. What I'm trying to suggest it that some movies can change a lot after a few years. Re-watch that old favorite of yours again, and let me know how it held up today, and if anything changed.
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