Drive me away!

Plain and simple, this is the worst box office hit I've seen so far.  To me, it is not even worth a tenth of a percent, yet the critics saw fit to give it a 92 percent.  There is no story, no character development, and no acting!

I can't even say how bad that movie was, there just aren't words.  I mean, combine B list actors with the jumpiest filming I've ever seen (next to Vantage Point), and you still get something four times better than Drive!

My biggest complaint about this movie was the acting, or, more appropriately, the lack thereof.  Gosling's facial expression DID NOT CHANGE for the ENTIRE film.  He kept all expression off his face; he never showed anger, love, adoration, or remorse.  His best scene: he's making out with his girlfriend in the elevator, next to a hit man.  Without readjusting his face, he throws the hitman to the floor and stomps his head in.  With the same face he looks at his girlfriend, as if wondering why she's so horrified by what he's just done.

My second complaint is the character development.  There is none.  Driver just has his job as a getaway man, his girlfriend doesn't know him, and all of a sudden loves him.  His girlfriend's husband hates him, then suddenly loves him, then he dies.  The mob members tolerate him, then want him dead, after he's tried to return their property.  No explanations, no developing relationships, no background.  Just POP and the character's disposition changes.

As for the story, I feel bad for the author of the book this film is based on and I'll leave it at that.

Time to compare to the critics.  As usual, here is the link to the Rotten Tomatoes reviews.   I particularly like the review that calls this film "Pedal to the metal stuff."  It takes the movie an hour to get anywhere, and when it does, the action lasts maybe a minute and its back to Gosling driving calmly down some back alley in LA.  Not what I consider pedal to the metal.

Of all the critics, I only agree with one: Susan Granger.  She hits the nail on the head as far as I'm concerned with this movie dubbed action flick.  There is nothing to it. No substance, no plot, and frankly no drive.

I apologize for not saying more, but what I'm thinking about this film cannot be adequately described by words.  I don't understand the new world of artsy films, or why bad acting and long pauses (in which the director is probably reading the actors their lines) make for a good film in general, let alone a super high rated action-adventure/murder-mystery, but I will say this, if you're looking for something to give a thrill, go see something else, like Conan the Barbarian or Contagion because both are more pleasurable than Drive.