An Overlooked Heartbreak in "Drive"

Recently, I watched Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive -- due in part to my increasing fascination with the film's hero, Ryan "Hey Girl" Gosling. The 80s-themed font of the intro credits, the Taxi Driver vibe, and the soundtrack were slick and invited viewers into the film's atmosphere immediately. It was really a film buff's dream, and I'm simply thankful that it introduced me to the musical stylings of Kavinsky.

Refn's film is based on a novel by James Sallis and centers around a lonely figure who is defined largely by his exceptional driving skills. His persona is so mysterious and lonely, in fact, that the audience is never interred as to his actual name.

The mysterious nature of The Driver's identity is only revealed by his actions -- he works as a quiet mechanic by day and does side work as a stunt driver in films -- and he explores a darker side of society by working as a heist driver on occasion. When one of his "jobs" goes wrong after a botched robbery, he becomes a wanted man who must also protect the object of his affection, Irene (played by Carey Mulligan).

And, this is where my heart breaks a bit. Obviously, I really enjoyed this film. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I went to a friend's house the very next day and pled with friends to watch it with me again. We had a good time, and the running dialogue that we contributed was a lot of fun. After I got home, I decided to research it further in order to get a better sense of how Refn cultivated such a fine work. What I read, however, regarding his casting for the film was unsettling and confusing.