this movie DISGUSTED me (and I LOVED it)...first time watching *DRIVE* 

the way this movie uses beautiful silence and imagery mixed with its shocking acts of violence is just so beautifully done

Also, he kisses her like it's the last kiss they'll ever have, because it is in a way. It's the last kiss they'll have before she sees who he really is and what he's capable of. He knows what he'll have to do, he knows that even if she loves him she'll never see him the same way again after, so first he shares one last innocent kiss.

This movie suffered a LOT from the advertising, and audiences were also expecting a faster paced action movie. It's a big part why the initial ratings weren't great, and the box office opening was a bit less than expected. It's much more a character drama with some action, and way more cerebral than it was pitched.

The shot when Irene exits the elevator, horrified, after Driver stomps that guy to death is so perfect. The back of Driver’s jacket fills half the frame as he is breathing heavily, making the scorpion look alive. As she stares back him in shock. It’s such a subtle, beautiful touch. A visual metaphor that the scorpion has been awakened.

The 5 minutes was just the time they have in the building to getaway, if they came out after 6 minutes he would’ve been gone, but once they’re in the car he’ll take as much time as necessary to get the job done

I love the fact that this is really a story about an absolute monster. Just an incredibly violent, angry, verging on unhinged guy, literally struggling to not let that side of himself out. You see it throughout. The way he’s shaking in rage in that scene with the hammer. The elevator scene where he keeps kicking long after the dude is dead. How easily he kills those people in the motel. It’s possible that he’s even done this before. But most of the time he’s holding it together, and he meets somebody who helps him be a better person. So when outside forces start to mess with that, the animal comes out of him full force. The scene at the end with the mask is genuinely scary, almost like this movie has been about Michael Myers or something the entire time but with a nice side. Even the lyrics in the song, “a real human being, and a real hero”, it’s meant to be almost ironic. He leaves at the end not because of the dangerous people around him, but because he IS the most dangerous person around her. I HIGHLY recommend watching this a second time. Plays completely differently.

10:40 those private, intimate moments are what make the movie for me. our leads barely talk to each other, but you can FEEL how much they like each other and how well they work together. in less capable hands, these scenes would feel awkward and wooden, but instead, like you said, it almost makes the viewer feel like we're intruding on their love story. (these moments also make the violence that much more shocking as the film abruptly changes tone.)

Such a brilliant choice, hiring an art-house director for a crime thriller film. And because the story was so simple, Nicolas Winding Refn could squeeze every ounce of symbolism he could out of this movie. This is one of my top 3 favourite films, ever. It’s way more than just a crime movie, or a love story, or a driving movie. It’s fucking art. Something I noticed in rewatching it a few years ago; The Driver could have avoided everything that happened in the second half of the movie. When Bernie tells him “anything you need, you call me”, calling him to get the criminals to leave Standard and his family alone would have been more than enough of an appropriate favour for Bernie to take care of. But The Driver didn’t want to do that, or didn’t think of it. Because he wanted Irene to see him as a hero. There’s so much symbolism in this movie that plays so well into the theme of The Driver knowing he’s a bad person and wanting to be seen as a hero/good person. Like the use of the song “a real hero” several times throughout the movie. He even has his own hero outfit, his jacket. Man, I love this movie. This is the movie that kind of reawakened my love of cinema. I had developed a disinterest in movies during high school after seeing several crappy movies in theatres in 2008/2009 (eagle eye, transformers 2, etc.). But after I saw this in 2012, it like a revelation for me. I consider this film to be a part of the “yellow street lights” trilogy, all being about characters driving through L.A. at night, consisting of “Drive”, “Nightcrawler”, and “Collateral”. A really great, really varied triple-feature.

When you checked which year it came out. You were like "it's not too long ago." And then it hit you how time flies. I laughed unnecessarily hard.

I love the slow pacing where you gradually learn that the “kid”/Driver is the most dangerous violent criminal in the movie. The other guys never knew what hit them.

It was so great that we finally got to watch this movie with you Nat. This movie was always the bridesmaid over on Patreon. 8 polls, 8 fails. So glad you just said "F**K IT" 😂 Amazing reaction Nat, and shout out to Cameron for his moments of genius. I hope you're still in Nat's employment after the sheep behind the sofa 😄🐑

The ending is actually pretty ambiguos. It's bittersweet in the way it's presented but the audience is left to decide the driver's fate on their own. It's been stated by medical professionals that he likely wouldn't have survived that stabbing without immediate medical attention and we seeing him driving away after the sun has gone down. But with it being a work of fiction you can interpret it in a more happier light if you take the more optimistic view of him surviving and it all adds to the mystique and the mystery of the unnamed driver.

I remember watching this movie and being surprised. No marketing or anything, just silently dope with a bangin’ soundtrack. Natalie was hilarious in this reaction.

Apart from being a masterpiece of a movie this is also what got me hooked on synthwave. The main theme, "Nightcall", is just so damn good.

To get extra depth to the cinematography, I recommend watching Every Frame a Painting's video about the Quadrant System which is used so well in this film.

"The Places Beyond the Pines" is a good Ryan Gosling movie that feels almost like this one.

I was obsessed with this movie when it came out. That elevator scene is still one of my all time favourite moments in any movie.

I heard the opening theme a little while back on BBC Radio 1 "Nightcall" by Kravinsky. This lead me to find the film to watch and it was awesome. Everything you say about it.

I really enjoyed seeing your reaction to a subtler, more deliberate movie. Don't get me wrong, I love it when you share the blockbusters and big franchises with us, but I'm totally here for this kind of film too. I also agree that you should watch more things just because you want to watch them. I think you should do that regularly, as part of your schedule! I'm sure your Patrons would be just as happy voting on 7-8 films a month as they are voting on 8-10. What would be even better would be if you also added one slot per month where the RU-vid community gets to pick one. It would be nice if your fans who can't afford to be patrons could still have a vote once in a while, and the Patreon subscribers could still come vote in those too, so they're not missing out on their chance. And hey, polls are great for engagement! Anyway, just my thoughts. Love the channel, and I'm happy to leave three comments on this video to pay it back in some small way, lol. Stay golden, Natalie!

Any chance you’ll be reacting to “The Batman”? Seems very fitting especially since you recently watched Seven (it’s got similar vibes).

Love this movie. I refer to movies like this as “meditation” movies. Like The Assassination of Jesse James, I can rewatch it just enjoying the cinematography, acting, and directing.

If you like driving movies check out Baby Driver. It has some amazing music, cinematography, and driving. It’s a hidden gem that many don’t know about but we’ll worth a watch.

The scorpion on the jacket is my favourite single detail of the film. He's the ferryman, taking people (criminals) across the river (safely away from the scene). More than that, he's the ferryman from the fable about the scorpion and the frog. His fate is sealed from the start, because it's inevitable that the criminals, the life of crime he lives, will inevitably sting him. Edit: Okay, clearly one of the central themes of the movie is that in the end, it turns out he's the scorpion. I didn't acknowledge that. But it's also worth pointing out how he begins the film representing the frog, or at least seeing himself that way. I just wanted to note how great it is that they literally put a scorpion on his back as part of the metaphorical red herring/conflict/revelation. So please stop commenting 'No he's the scorpion' because if you need for only one thing to be true at a time you're gonna have a hard time with art. 🙄

The writer and director of Drive is Nicolas Winding Refn. He is from Denmark, like me. If you ever want to explore a danish movie, then his breakout movie Pusher is worth a watch. It's starring Kim Bodnia (Known for The Witcher and Killing Eve) and Mads Mikkelsen (Know for everything). It is definitely worth a watch.

Ryan Gosling came a little short in here :D This is a masterpiece from every point of view but I want to concentrate on the acting. Ryan Gosling nails every single role he does. I’ve never seen a bad movie with him (saw almost all) but this one stands out! The way that we don’t see his face in the beginning yet we feel his acting and emotion just by seeing his back. He almost does not talk through the whole movie, he has very little lines, also he doesn’t move to much. His whole acting is based on his body language and his eyes. One could say he basically played for the most part of the movie either with his eyes or his back. And this is a special talent, extraordinary and very hard to do. There’re really not many actors able to do that. To me he definitely is one of the best actors (if not the best) of his generation. And really underrated too, since people always talk about his looks and he didn’t receive as much awards as he deserves. I honestly can recommend to you every single movie he’s done. He also nails every genre. But there’s one of his very first movies: the believer. This one has a special place in my heart. As a Jewish girl from Germany that movie had a really big impact on me and it made me think a lot. It’s a complicated one (on a psychological level) but his performance, again, is just breathtaking and him being new to cinema and not being Jewish but understanding and portraying it so well is unbelievable. You definitely should check that out (not as a reaction though, I don’t think this would be something for RU-vid). The Believer (2001).

after many years, it only recently dawned on me how much the story plays out as a western. a strong silent hero riding off into the proverbial sunset

Another amazing surprise! One of my all time favorites and a soundtrack I still play in my car - two songs randomly came up this week!

Driver was such a low key badass protagonist. An absolutely fearless dude.

You should watch some of Refn’s other films. They’re all incredibly violent, but beautifully shot and soundtracked.

Ugh, this is such an underrated movie. So much better than Baby Driver, which has overshadowed it since the latter came out. This is one of my favorites, and you’re the first Ive seen react to it. So thank you! Hey, looking another romantic crime movie? For your consideration: True Romance

I remember seeing this in theaters and it was roller coaster. The way you get a quick burst of action before everything slows back down and builds the tension back up was riveting. It definitely wasn’t was I was expecting but it really struck a chord. Super memorable movie and I’ve rewatched it multiple times since I first watched it. I love how stylized it is because it really makes it stand out in my mind.

That opening sequence is legit! And always loved it features the not so stereotypical Los Angeles. Also, “Nightcall” by Kavinsky is such a rad tune!

This is my #3 favorite all-time movie. The score, acting, plot, and cinematography all complement each other to near perfection. I call this "movie magic." This movie has countless "movie magic" moments, whereas most movies can hardly put a single one together.

Drive is a masterpiece in a long line of noir character study films about people on the fringes of society and examining the kind of gritty and bleak circumstances that produce such people. Should definitely watch Taxi driver by Scorsese and Thief by Michael Mann. Oh and then No country for old men by the Coen brothers, that movie is just so awesome.

Wow, something I never thought about until you mentioned the pacing of this movie, and then it hit me. How you described the pacing is a perfect metaphor the “The Driver’s” job, because it’s a whole lot of sitting around, waiting and not doing much, with short bursts of intense action. I always loved this movie, but that realization actually made me appreciate it even more.

Cool! Love this movie. Glad I decided to check in. I drifted away from you channel since you got so focused on comic book stuff

Was looking forward to this one. The use of silence, light and violence. Great film that is much more than some of its parts. Thinking of Ryan Gosling, The Place Beyond the Pines would be great for Nat.

I'm going to join other in recommending 'Baby Driver' . The opening car chase alone is worth watching.

Your screams during all the gore scenes were just perfect 🤣🤣 you always make such fun videos with great insights. Keep up the cool work!

Love how this movie goes from calm to hectic to super calm right before the hyper violence. Definitely one of Ryan Gosling's best performances.

I thoroughly recommend ‘ The Neon Demon’ by the same director. Such a good film and just as disturbing. Every frame is a visual masterpiece.

Natalie, you got introduced to the cinema of Nicolas Winding Refn, one of the top best directors working today. His entire filmmography is brilliant, all his movies are great and so is his TV show "Too Old To Die Young". I hope you get to see more movies made by him. My own personal favorite of his is Valhalla Rising.

It was the ocean, but "The Scorpion and the Frog"fable is that a frog is about to cross a river and a scorpion asks to be taken across. The frog says that the scorpion will sting him and the scorpion says that he won't, as he'd drown. However, halfway across, the scorpion stings the frog, who asks why he killed him, the scorpion says "It's in my nature." It's a pretty good metaphor for the Driver, who tries to hide his true nature by being with Irene and Benicio, but who ends up having to become who he is underneath again.

It was SO MUCH FUN watching this with you Patreon. I first watched this movie years and years ago and really wanted you to watch it. Glad that Tyler helped nudge you along. :)

Have you watched The Place Beyond the Pines? It's another suspenseful Gosling drama where his character has to go fast.

Its absolutely incredible how violence on men when women do it is absolutely fine lol. Like she don't agree with him sight, but that slap? tf

I love how Albert Brooks, the west coast Woody Allen himself, plays the villain and is pretty intimidating actually:)

This is the movie that made me realize films can be so much more than a fun time. Ive obsessed and studied this movie for years.

To keep the theme going, you should do Baby Driver next!

Fuckin finally a big reactor did this movie, shit is incredible. Some of the best usage of music in film history imo and fantastic directing/cinematography and acting.

The story of the *Scorpion and the Frog* is a metaphor for The Driver and the criminals he drives around and gets involved with. The Driver is the frog who transports animals across the river and The Driver literally has a scorpion his back on his jacket. Paraphrasing the story here but: There’s this frog at the bank of the river (The Driver) who helps animals cross the river (The Driver transporting criminals) that can’t swim. One day a scorpion (criminals in this movie) asks the frog if he can help him cross the river, the frog says “no, you’ll sting me”, the scorpion retorts with “no no I won’t because then we’ll both drown”, so the frog agrees, and then puts the scorpion on his back (like I said, the driver literally has a scorpion on the back of his jacket), and then halfway through, the scorpion stings the frog and they both drown. The frog asks why he did it, and the scorpion said “I’m sorry but it’s in my nature. I couldn’t resist.” The Driver, while trying to help Irene and Benicio, like the frog just trying to help, got involved with the wrong people, in this case criminals that’ll screw each other over and double cross each other, and suffered the consequences of not living a happy life with Irene, Benicio, and probably the police.

This is my favorite Gosling movie. Very stylized and so well made. His ability to convey so much with only like 10 lines in the whole movie. Really glad you liked it! Your reaction was so good to it as well!

Suddenly, I like Tyler's taste in films. I saw this movie when it came out and was blown away by it. The intensity, the grittiness, the storytelling. A few movies I can recommend that might be to Tyler's liking, if he hasn't seen them already: Oscar Isaac in the sci fi "Ex Machina" . Bryan Cranston in the truly magnificent series "Breaking Bad." And for a little foreign flavor from Denmark, a drug dealer film as visceral as "Drive": "Pusher" (1996)

YES please less franchise shenanigans and more films like this. If it means you have to pick them yourself instead of relying on polls, then so be it!

The chemistry in this film is thick as lentil soup. I love the longing stare sessions so much.

Frog: "Why did you do it?" Scorpion: "It's my nature." I saw this in cinema around the same time as Fracture. Ryan has range as an actor and those two movies highlighted that.

Such a fantastic movie. You barely see reactions to this! Nicolas Windig Refn is a great director. Might wanna watch The Neon Demon at some point. Thank you for this! 🥰

This is by far one of my favorite movies. Came out at a pivotal point in my life and has stuck with me since. The music, the acting, the story-telling, all of it. Glad you watched it! One of my favorite lines: Driver: My hands are a little dirty. Rose: So are mine.

Albert Brooks who plays Bernie in this film was mainly known for comedic roles before making this movie. He even shaved his eyebrows to give himself a more intense look. You may recognize his voice as Marlin from Finding Nemo.

There is an analysis of this movie's cinematography approach somewhere on RU-vid. It divided the movie up into quadrants and used that framing model to show how different smaller stories are being told in each quadrant, and how they are being used to support the main visual narrative. One of my favorites of the 2010s!

a scorpion tattoo is also a tradition among US Special forces who went to the desert for combat in the past recent wars/conflicts there. i think there is good odds that this is the Driver's backstory. he is very good at hand to hand combat, hes got his head on tactical swivel split second decision mode 24/7 and lives very minimally and mobile. havent disected the full movie for any more hints, but he doesnt seem like ~just~ some tough guy who liked cars and just happened to keep getting caught up in more 🕵‍♂️🤷‍♂️

This movie is truly beautiful. I haven't really experienced a movie like it since Blade Runner 2049. Both movies have very similar themes and Drive was probably a big inspiration for BR 2049.

Albert Brooks usually plays such a great dry humor character, I loved seeing him in this roll.

This movie has a whole color meaning for exemple at Irene's clothes and house since the beginning to the end of the movie happens a lot of shots that have a meaning. (the colours Red = danger, violence. Blue = safety, peace) look while the movie goes, these colors at her home, clothes has a lot shots with it, slowly shows the predominance of red over blue (that was in the beginning), this happens at the moment that Ryan's character enter at their house, their lives starts to be in danger. This detail is awesome!

I went to see the movie Neon Demon in the cinema several years ago, it was my first introduction to Nicolas Winding Refn (the Director for Drive, Director and Writer for Neon Demon), and it completely changed my view on cinema. When he directs you know that every scene/frame has a purpose and when he is the writer too you know that you are going to be challenged or even shocked with the themes he presents. He is definitely someone to watch out for.

If you want a GREAT Ryan Gosling flick, A Place Beyond The Pines is phenomenal! Bradley Cooper is in it too.

So happy Tyler didn't warn you about the gore and violence 😂😂 your reactions to all the gruesome deaths was hilarious lol

You've earned my subscription, Natalie. Either you're a fantastic actress or you're genuine about these been your first time watches of movies. Either way, bravo. Also, Drive is one of my favourite films.

Fun fact, this film started the 80’s nostalgia boom in the 2010’s along with Super 8 & Tron Legacy. I love this film so much that I can’t watch it with anyone because I’m too scared of it being rejected

Too much talking!!!!!!!!

I really like the idea of also trying out movies you are interested in (not just polled ones). Nothing better to get to know the real you than to walk along your doing what you really want to do. AKA unconditional love from both, yourself and followers of this channel. It's a nice addition, not a subtraction. ;-)

Ryan Gosling is essentially an anti-hero in this film. He's basically a functioning psychopath with a heart of gold. Two traits psychopaths exhibit is they don't tend to experience fear (hence the high speed stunt driving) and their ability to tap into uncontrolled rage which is why he comes across as extremely violent and unhinged at times.

Glad you liked it so much natalie, this movie soundtrack featuring Kavinsky and College propelled a lot of people in the Synthwave genre of music. 🎶

The movie that inspired the Hotline Miami franchise. Also, fun fact: every time you see Gosling wearing his leather jacket and you can see his hands, that's because his arms are actually hidden inside the sleeves. He insisted to use his own hands for that, no CGI.

This film is a masterpiece Bryan Cranston was starring in season 4 of Breaking Bad as Walter White when they filmed this and Ron Perlman was starring as Clay in season 4 of Sons of Anarchy

The actor who plays Bernie in this film (Albert Brooks) is also the voice of Marlin in Finding Nemo/Dory... makes one wonder how Nemo really ended up with his "lucky" fin!

The pacing, photography, and music remind me a lot of Michael Mann’s films, especially the James Caan movie “Thief.”

Nicolas Winding Refn said of Drive that he wanted to make an 80s John Hughes' fairy tale romance, but with ultra violence. Ryan Gosling called it "Pretty in Pink with a head-smashing." The first 15 minutes of this movie are just a brilliant example of how to open a film. The entire opening sequence with the getaway chase is like a self-contained short film of its own. But the brilliance isn't just in the way Refn economically creates tension, but how it establishes so much about who the Driver character is, within a short amount of time, without relying on backstory or exposition. It's a masterful example of showing not telling. And then the opening credits tell us a totally different story. The first of many jarring and fascinating contradictions throughout the film. The cold open establishes that the Driver is a stoic, focused character who's only looking out for himself. Like a mythological figure who just wandered into modern LA out of the Wild West. Then, as soon as we think we've got a read on this guy, the credit sequence tells us that there's a softer side of him. A hidden, romantic side that's both lonely and vulnerable.

YESSSS FINALLY I have been waiting for you to do this one for AGES

This movies is definitely in my top 3, with 2 of the 3 being Ryan Gosling leads, the other being bladerunner. The man knows how to portray feeling via his eyes and facial expressions even in very stoic roles like this. He doesn't have to say a lot as a character to empathize with how his character feels in the moment. The staring between the characters in this film said so much more than any dialogue could. Ryan Gosling is such a diverse actor, more than you would think, comparing this film with the stoic monster filled with rage ready to burst to The Nice Guys clumsy buffoonish abbott and costello comedy and La La Land musical larger than life performance, you get 3 vastly different character portrayals it's quite amazing, dudes top notch.

Thanks to the Drive soundtrack (especially Nightcall) I discovered Kavinsky and Retro synthwave. Great film and it turned me into a whole genre of music!

"The Nice Guys" Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe star in it. Its a really good movie and really funny 🤣

Driving on the L.A river with the song "A real Hero" for some reason for me is the highlight of the movie.

This is a great movie and it's a remake of the movie " The Driver " starring Ryan O'Neal. In the original movie the driver only say 350 word total.

Fantastic movie! The soundtrack is amazing as well. The 80's synth vibe was awesome. I still listen to some of those songs in the movie to this day.

My now hubs says he fell in love with me when I whispered 'if he crashes this Mustang'. Lol!!

I'd recommend The Nice Guys for another great Ryan Gosling performance, though in a completely different direction. Buddy-cop action-comedy with Russell Crowe, directed by Shane Black.

You HAVE to watch Nightcrawler! One of Jake Gyllenhaal's best performances!

Could not have picked anything better. I've been waiting for you to see this.

Saturday and a Natalie video, perfect day

I remember the first time I saw this, Driver left me feeling anxious all the time. Ive met dudes like that, they're fucking terrifying, always on a constant knife edge

This has to be in my top 10 of all time favourite movies. Everything about it is perfect. I do find it weird you didn't pick out the amazing musical score more!

Another hidden gem from around the same time is The Place Beyond the Pines, also with Ryan Gosling. If you want to continue down this slightly different route with the reactions I’d recommend it!

The Soundtrack featuring Kavinsky was amazing

I have been enjoying your content since I started watching when you had around 10 videos at most. This might be some of your best reactions yet.

Wow, great choice. This was one of my favorite movies that year. Haven't seen it in a while, but now I feel the need to revisit it!

Look up the fable of the Scorpion and the Frog. "Driver", "Crazy, Stupid Love", and "The Ides of March" all came out for Gosling in 2011.

This is like my favorite genre or style of movie. A bit moody, small cast of characters, super basic premise. I love Drive and Nightcrawler. They both have a similar vibe. Open to suggestions from anyone

I didn't know I needed or wanted this reaction until you did it.♥️ the place beyond the pines is also a good movie starring Ryan Gosling. stay golden ✨

Neon Demon is the director's follow up movie. Starring Elle Dakota, Jena Malone & Keanu Reeves with a role too. A real stylized, art house horror, set in the Supermodel world.... Totally worth checking out!!