The wheelman and the romantic.

Rachel and I made it out to City Cinema last night to see Drive.

Ryan Gosling plays a cool-as-ice mechanic/stunt driver/getaway wheelman who meets Carey Mulligan‘s character “Irene” and her son in his new apartment building. Sparks fly, and Gosling is put in a situation where his attempt to help the two of them puts them in even more danger, and he (being the cool-as-ice guy he is) has to set it straight. Bryan Cranston plays Gosling’s manager, and Christina Hendricks, Albert Brooks, and Ron Perlman round out the cast.

The first half of the movie plays like a romance drama, though I can’t see what Mulligan’s character sees in Gosling’s (other than the fact that he looks like Ryan Gosling, which from what I hear, is enough for most ladies). The second half plays out as a graphically violent rampage as our hero hunts down those who would do harm to this young woman and her son. Toss in a few car chases, the City of Angels, and you have a recipe for a decent flick.

Drive is, at its center, more about what drives the characters than about Gosling driving cars. The bad guys are driven by money and greed. Bryan Cranston’s character is driven by business opportunities. Carey Mulligan’s character is driven by her son, and Gosling’s drive is to protect the two of them. His character has almost zero personality through the first half of the movie, but really comes alive for the third act.

Drive plays at City Cinema until December 6th. If you have the chance (and the stomach for a little graphic violence), you should check it out.