Driver

I decided to do two things with my day today. I wanted to explore a part of my current home town of Hamilton, Ohio that I rarely go to and I wanted to take in a movie. I decided to go to the west side of Hamilton (I live on the east side)which I've driven through but never actually stopped or spent any time in. There is a a fairly large shopping district that includes an eight screen movie theater.
The theater would be considered "old school". There's no stadium seating, only eight screens, and the theaters themselves are tiny. I'm not sure when the theater was built but I wouldn't be surprised if it goes the way of the dinosaurs soon or at least the way of the two dollar discount theater. I guess I've been spoiled by stadium seating and higher quality sound than this theater had. Needless to say, I don't think I'll be returning to that theater any time soon.
I decided to watch the movie Driver. The reviews have been great and it's gotten a lot of buzz. I knew that it was not going to be a typical action movie when Roger Ebert sub-titled his review of the movie "The Existential Getaway Driver". I thought that given my recent mood, I could use a little existential entertainment. So I decided to see what the buzz was about.
In many ways, the movie is really not an action movie at all. There are some high speed chase scenes. There's the typical car rolling over a cliff - minus the big explosion at the bottom. There's the hero - sort of. There is a lot of danger. There is a gritty feel to the movie. There's also a kind of deep depressive mood hanging over the whole film. There are long periods (at least for a movie) where there is no dialogue. The actors, especially Ryan Gossling, don't say a single word for whole segments. There are glances and slight movements of the body that convey that there's something that these people possibly want to say to one another but they just don't ever say it. In some ways it's understood I guess.
The thing I liked least about Driver is the over the top violence. I expected car crashes but I didn't expect gallons of blood being spurted and sprayed all over everything and everyone. In fact, through the whole last part of the movie, Gossling's character walks around in public wearing a jacket stained with blood from a man whom he has violently killed in an elevator. I wondered if he had any hand sanitizer with him to at least get his hands clean. I really wanted him to take a shower and then burn his clothes. However, he is on a mission by this time in the movie. Things are not going to end well for a lot of the characters and I guess maybe he knows that. No need to shower. Just get the bad stuff over with as quickly as possible.
After watching Driver, I have mixed feelings about the movie. I thought Ryan Gossling was excellent. The basic plot is an intriguing one that kept me guessing through some twists and turns. The soundtrack is haunting and I think fits well with the overall dark mood of the film. However, I don't think the movie is for everyone. Things are not all wrapped up when the credits begin scrolling. I'm not sure anyone lives happily ever after in the world that this film depicts. It's hard to say that good wins in the end. I guess it does but that goodness comes at a huge cost. Life goes on for some. However, I kept wondering how much the life that goes on in the future for these characters will forever be scarred by the violence and pain that has played out in the story. I'm not sure. Maybe that's the point of the film.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!