Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence, language and some nudity.
Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman
Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn – First Feature Film
Dark, brutal and violent.
Ryan Gosling stars as a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night. Though a loner by nature, Driver can’t help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband Standard (Oscar Isaac). After a heist intended to pay off Standard’s protection money spins unpredictably out of control, Driver finds himself driving defense for the girl he loves, tailgated by a syndicate of deadly serious criminals (Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman). But when he realizes that the gangsters are after more than the bag of cash in his trunk-that they’re coming straight for Irene and her son-Driver is forced to shift gears and go on offense.
Ryan Gosling is one of Hollywood’s hottest actors right now and I’ll admit his character was very cool in this movie. But cool is not enough. Even though he is the hero…he is very flawed and plenty of demons that keep him from being someone to admire. There is a single mom who cheats on her husband days before he is released from prison…there is the husband getting out of prison, and they are the “good guys.” The criminals are much worse. They are mean, nasty and drop the F-bomb like they have a quota to fill.
Besides the characterless characters, there is so much blood. Like that excessive-does-the-human-body-even-have-that-much-blood kind of bloody. I usually don’t mind a little violence in an action movie…but this was too graphic.
The biggest problem I had with Drive is just how dark it is. It reminded me of films like No Country for Old Men and Gangs of New York… both successful with critics and the box office…and of course with teenagers. It is dark, bloody and difficult to watch at times.
The critics are raving about Drive…but I have to say Skip It.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
No.
While there is no sex, there is a scene where several women are topless in a dressing room.
But the main issue is the violence and gore. Several times we see people being shot and excess blood shoots out of their bodies. We also see a man hit a woman in the face – which is always disturbing.
Another time “Driver” stomps on a man’s face repeatedly until his head gets crushed apart, and blood and chunks of brain are shown flying out of his head and creating a rather large puddle underneath his body.
There is one scene where a woman is shot through a window and her head explodes upon impact and blood and brain matter splatter all over the placer graphic.
And finally the F–word is used over 30 times.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What’s the message/theme of this movie?
A: The theme of this movie is centered on Driver protecting his neighbor who he likes – even though she is married. And while trying to protect someone is an admirable endeavor, Driver does the right thing the wrong way.
There are usually three ways of doing something…We can do the wrong thing, the wrong way. Or we can do the right thing the wrong way, or the right thing the right way.
Can you think of an example of each?
What’s the obvious choice to how we should do things?
Q: How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
A: Well the first thing we should talk about is how God not only cares about what we do, but He actually cares about how we do it.
Read Colossians 3:17 – And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (NIV)
What does this verse encourage us to do?
So what do you think that means?
What are some of the things that you do that you thought God really didn’t care about?
How can you do those things for His glory?
Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: I believe that God cares about the big and little things that we do. But more importantly he cares about how we do them.
So what is one right thing you can do this week, the right way?
