DRIVE [2011]

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HERC has been heard to utter, under his breath, that he is not a Ryan Gosling fan - he is a fan of some of the characters he portrays on screen.  One of HERC's favorite Gosling characters is the never named "Driver" in 2011's Drive, an incredibly dark, moody, sullen and ultimately violent film unlike any other HERC has had the pleasure of viewing.

Upon his first viewing of the film, HERC left the theater bewildered and bothered: What had he just seen?  Over the next week or so, the film's imagery slowly settled into place in his head and he became an evangelistic fanboy for the movie and it's soundtrack.  Ryan has said that while he was driving his hand-picked director around town one night before filming began, an unnamed REO Speedwagon song came on the radio and a light went off - the movie would "evoke what it is to drive around listening to music and trying to feel something."

The music sounds like the first wave of synthpop from the Eighties, one of HERC's favorite genres with favorite bands like Devo, Heaven 17, Soft Cell and Yazoo.  It's actually all contemporary music, from a genre called electro-house which is currently the top genre on the EDM (electronic dance music) site Beatport's Top 100, besting out trendier and buzzier genres such as dubstep, tech house and progressive house.

Kavinsky's "Nightcall" featuring Lovefoxx plays during the opening credits of Drive.  The music, the vocoder male voice and the emotionless female voice set the mood for the rest of the film.  There are five songs on the soundtrack with the rest of the music handled by former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Cliff Martinez, who played on the band's first two albums before being fired before the third.  (Unlike some other former Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cliff WAS inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame with the band in April 2012 and actually played with them for the first time in 26 years during the ceremony.)  All of the film's music, both the pre-existing songs and Martinez's score, ebb and flow seamlessly in the background forming an integral part of the film watching experience rather than distracting and jarring as some film soundtracks tend to be.

The equally haunting and droning "Under Your Spell" by Desire is another standout on the soundtrack.  Like most of the music it would not be out of place on an episode of "Miami Vice".  Many of the lingering camera shots in the film are reminiscent of that defining show of the Eighties as well.

"A Real Hero" by College and Electric Youth is another song from the Drive soundtrack although the video above is a fan edit featuring multiple scenes from the movie.  SPOILER ALERT: Don't watch the video if you haven't seen the movie yet.  Oops!  HERC is a real human being - the jury is still out on the real hero verdict.

The movie is almost ghost town quiet - there is minimal dialogue.  And while the violence escalates quickly into bloody and pulpy Tarantino territory, it is brief almost fleeting.  Drive is rated R for a reason though, namely "strong brutal bloody violence, language and some nudity."  The nudity takes place at a strip club.

According to interviews, Hugh Jackman was originally attached to star in Drive in pre-production back in 2008.  The film is based on the same titled, little read short novel by James Sallis, which was first published in 2005.  The author published a sequel in April 2012, Driven, that reportedly picks up where the end of the first book and movie left off.  HERC is patiently waiting for the local library system to get a copy.

Sadly, the Drive soundtrack is not yet available on Spotify but there are several wonderful playlists inspired by the music so HERC is gonna do you a solid and feature his favorite one here.  The song above is NOT on the soundtrack but fits almost perfectly.

While the Drive soundtrack is available to listen to on Songza <HERE>. HERC likes this similarly-themed playlist: Late Night Driving.