YMMV / Drive (2011)

• Adaptation Displacement: The film is far more well known to general audiences than the novel of the same name by James Sallis.
• Alternative Character Interpretation: One propagated by posters on 4chan holds that the Driver is actually autistic, although given the general tenor of content posted on the boards this is in all likelihood intended to be Played for Laughs or jabbing at how he doesn't speak much.
• Award Snub: Much to the surprise of many, the only Oscar nomination this movie got was for Best Sound Editing. Notably left off were Ryan Gosling and Albert Brooks for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, with Brooks' omission being particularly jarring given how he had won a slew of the major critics' awards and had earned nominations at the BFCA and the Golden Globes.
• Awesome Music: Most of Cliff Martinez's score, as well as the songs "Nightcall" and "A Real Hero", which did invaluable work in introducing Synthwave to a wider audience.
• Complete Monster: "Chris Cook" is a gangster extorting the recently released Standard Gabriel for protection money. Threatening to kill Standard along with his wife and young son should he fail to pay, Cook sets up his own drugged-up stripper girlfriend Blanche as a robbery partner in a scheme to steal from the East Coast mob. When Standard is killed and the Driver takes the stolen money, Cook has Blanche killed, and is later seen with countless strippers to replace her.
• Creepy Awesome: The driver never blinks, has only a few lines of dialogue, and barely expresses any emotion. The only thing keeping him from being The Sociopath outright is his obvious affection for Irene. In spite of being walking Nightmare Fuel, however, he's still a badass.
• Critical Dissonance: While critics and festival audiences loved the movie, its box office success did not reflect the massive internet buzz it generated. Eventually averted, however, as word of mouth made the film one of the first, if not the first true Cult Classic of The New '10s.
• Cult Classic: As mentioned above, the film slowly became a favorite over the years, and it's very popular on places like /tv/, to the point where you'll have a hard time not finding a thread about the film even a decade after its release.
• Diagnosed by the Audience: While The Driver's lack of words can be interpreted as shyness, his anger issues are a bit worrying.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Virtually every critic, whether they liked the film or not, praised Albert Brooks' performance as Bernie.
• Fridge Brilliance: The golden scorpion on The Driver's back is supposed to feed The Driver's scorpion motif but it actually plays into a frog motif. Like the frog in The Scorpion and the Frog story, The Driver has a scorpion on his back that's prepared to betray him at any time and The Driver should wise up before he gets killed.
• Fridge Horror: Since Irene probably didn't call the police after Driver smashed a hitman's head in, the body would probably have remained there, scaring any poor resident of the apartment block who uses the elevator.
• Funny Moments: Basically every single line Ron Perlman has. The man is a treasure and this film is a prime example.
  "That is one motherfucking fine-ass pussy mobile, motherfucker!"
  "What fucking family? The family who still calls me a fuckin' kike? TO MY FACE! Yo I'm 59 years old Bernie, they still pinch my cheek like I'm some fuckin' kid!"
• Friendly Fandoms: With Blade Runner 2049, due to both movies starring Ryan Gosling as a stoic and violent yet noble man who end up in tragic romances but sacrifice themselves to save other people, as well as for showcasing neon-drenched visual flair and synth-heavy soundtracks, and for playing huge parts in the "Ryan Gosling is literally me" memes.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • Late in the film, Shannon (played by Bryan Cranston) mentions a character fleeing to Belize.
  • The film's use of a song with the lyrics "A real human being, and a real hero" gained a prophetic twist in regards to one of Ryan Gosling's later roles, which revolved around whether or not he was a human. Not to mention that both movies see Gosling's character drowning a villain in the Pacific Ocean after ramming their car and getting into a fight with a knife-wielding opponent that leaves him seriously injured, with the film's ending playing coy about whether he survives or not, primarily by focusing on a long shot of his still, open eyes.
• Jerkass Woobie:
  • Standard, Irene's husband and Benecio's father. He may have been arrested for bank robbery and he may appear to be a bit hostile to The Driver but he's ultimately shown to be a decent man when he's released who wants to be a changed man and genuinely love his wife and son. He also befriends The Driver only to be shot to death.
  • The Driver. He's a stuntman and a mechanic who doubles as a criminal and a getaway driver. He also has anger problems and he's not afraid to use violence when it's absolutely necessary. However, it's implied (but not confirmed) that he had a rough life beforehand and before meeting Irene and her son it's possible that his only friend was Shannon. When he finally becomes close with Irene, her husband gets released from prison disappointing him greatly. When he manages to befriend Standard, he witnesses him getting shot dead right before his eyes. He breaks down violently and emotionally in the elevator while beating a hitman to death which dampens his relationship with Irene, finds Shannon's dead body and is forced to leave Irene and her son before finishing off the last criminal in order to ensure their safety (and that was before he got stabbed in the stomach). By the end it's hard not to feel sorry for him when he tearfully drives away.
• Magnificent Bastard:
  • The unnamed Driver is a cool, suave stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Promising his clients complete confidentiality and an assured getaway should they employ him, the Driver regularly pulls off incredible evasions of pursuing police and even helicopters, having a spotless record. After growing attached to his neighbor and her son, the Driver goes to any length to protect the two, from helping their husband and father pull off a robbery to waging a war against the criminals Bernie and Nino, ultimately killing the two and driving off into the night, successful in all his ventures except for living a peaceful life with the woman he loves.
  • Bernie Rose, who notes his unclean hands in business, is an affable mobster and so pleasant that one can forget how dangerous he is. Enraged at his partner Nino's idiotic scheme to rob the east coast mob, Bernie decides to settle business himself when Nino ignores his advice to let the Driver and Shannon go. Bernie lures in Shannon with kind words before murdering him and later sets up a meeting with the Driver to do the same, possibly fatally wounding him even after ensuring the Driver's love interest Irene is safe.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • A real human being. And a real hero. A particularly viral trend following the film's release was editing the song into pretty much any clip that at some point included someone saying the words "a human being".
    • Plus the mondegreen version: A real human bean.
  • "I drive."^Explanation A viral trend involving dashcam videos that show a car accident of some kind. The title or caption of the video is usually "I drive" and they are always edited to have Nightcall playing and this particular image of the protagonist somewhere on-screen.
• Narm:
  • For some people, the Mood Whiplash of the elevator scene.
  • The official trailer for the movie is this, especially if you watch it after watching the movie. Some fans even regard it as one of the worst trailers ever on account of how massively deceiving it is, to the point it might as well have been for a whole other movie.
• Nightmare Fuel:
  • The entire beach scene. Really, everything The Driver does during his Roaring Rampage of Revenge once he goes after Nino counts.
  • Blanche getting her head very realistically blown apart by a shotgun blast.
• Sacred Cow: On /tv/. Considering the insane standards they have, is quite an achievement.
• Signature Scene:
  • The opening credits, with the perfect pairing of gorgeous nighttime L.A. cinematography and the music cue of Kavinsky's "Nightcall".
  • The elevator scene tends to be the most memorable scene for many viewers, especially because of its depictions of ethereal romance and complete brutality, and its immediate juxtaposition of the two.
  • The scene of the Driver going after Cook with a hammer not only made for some of the film's most stylish shots but was replicated en masse for the film's advertising.
  • The last visual of the Driver we see in the film — a long shot of him staring blankly in his car, seemingly dead from Bernie's stab wound, before he blinks — has also become synonymous with the character.
• Special Effects Failure: After Bernie brutally murders Cook by stabbing him in the throat with a butcher knife, there is no blood on the knife when he shows it to Nino.
• Spiritual Successor:
  • The film can easily be seen as an adaptation of Grand Theft Auto III with some details changed. Both have Film Noir elements, don't shy away from violence, and star a Silent Protagonist who wears an unique jacket. The main plot is about avenging someone who was betrayed and shot during a robbery the protagonist was involved in. The protagonist forms a relationship with a woman whose husband has a criminal past, and eventually helps said husband, who dies not too long after the protagonist enters their life. Both even have an Ambiguous Ending that leaves the fate of a main character open.
  • To Thief, another neon-lit noir about a man of violence hoping to go straight for his loved ones, whose co-conspirators make it clear he cannot.
• Squick:
  • The Driver stomping on a man's face until it's basically mush.
  • Also Blanche's head getting blown to smithereens by a shotgun blast.
  • It's subtle, but when Standard is first shot, he's hit in the neck and if you listen closely you can hear him gasping for air.
  • Really, pretty much any of the violence in this movie.
• Sweet Dreams Fuel: Whenever A Real Hero plays, especially at the end.
• Tear Jerker: Irene and the Driver are alienated from each other seconds after their first kiss when he kills a thug in front of her. She returns to knock on his door some time later with a look of reconciliation, but he's gone. They're never going to meet again. The look on his face in the end says it all...
• Tough Act to Follow: While this isn't the first film by Nicolas Winding Refn to be positively received, no other movie of his after this one has met the same level of acclaim or recognition.
• The Woobie: Irene; hard not to be when you're played by Carey Mulligan.

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