Drive

Two types of "independent" films. First is genuinely different to other films and very interesting and thoughtful, second is pretentious and plain old boring.

Drive, at least for the first half, I thought fell into the latter category.
I was very wrong.

Drive is a compelling and harrowing tale of the nameless protagonist (Ryan Gosling) who basically drives for a living. He's a movie stunt-driver, a car mechanic and often takes the odd job as a getaway driver. Lives and breathes the automobile.

The first half of this film, I honestly thought this was the typical independent film that took itself too seriously on the execution of the film's style. The camera shots were prolonged, the dialogue was minimal and awkward and love interest Carey Mulligan (newly-appointed Queen of the Indie) didn't do anything for me. It felt like it was trying desperately to tell me something with these boring, slow-paced and often pointless scenes, but if the first half was merely character and story development, it didn't do a very good job at it, I was losing interest fast.

Just as I was convinced the story wouldn't pick up the pace, the film took a dark and graphic turn.
The violence within the second half was not as subtle as the rest of the film. A few scenes of violence upset me greatly. I hate to say this is the part where it got interesting, but believe me when I say it wasn't the violence itself that was intriguing me, it was the character's who were dishing it out.

Gosling for the most part, plays a patient, emotionless and oft times awkward guy. Very boring, actually. His performance in the first half wasn't great. Maybe they were trying to build up his character in a certain way, but it didn't work for me. In his violent scenes however, his presence was frightening. Seeing him defend his love interest by stamping on a guy's face until we hear the grotesque sound of the face breaking apart may not be for the faint-hearted, but it certainly shone a light on his character by conveying some emotion from Gosling, and its probably his best scene.

Overall, I would recommend this film. The pace is unbearably slow for the first half, but the change that comes about in the second is worth the wait. Once again, not for the faint-hearted in terms of the graphic violence, but an enjoyable genre film all the same.