Task 2.1 - Drive Analysis (Thriller)

The movie opens up with a scene that is constructed to introduce the audience to the world of The Driver, how meticulous and calculated he is. In a panning shot, we see that he already has a map with different routes planned out, and with the addition of a voice over, we learn how he has rules to what he does and how in control and comfortable he is in this world. The camera continues to pan right, and then up to a medium shot of The Driver looking over the city cloaked in darkness expresses also how in control he is and with a scorpion on his jacket to give the character a typical protagonist looks for the audience to support and like throughout the movie. The camera pans left again to see basketball game quietly plays on in the background, to the naked eye, this might just seem like a casual pass time for this character, but under analysis this element is all a part of The Drivers plan. After a long angle shot looking up at The Driver getting to where he needs to be, the audience sits in silence as we look up at him, looking so calm and controlled in his world, in his car.

A medium shot of a new character in a garage smoking is cut to just before the Driver enters the scene, his boss Shannon is very talkative, unlike The Driver himself, also offering him a list of drugs as he’s concerned for The Driver, ‘You getting any sleep?’. This could suggest that Shannon is somewhat a father figure to The Driver, which creates a kind of relatable compassion for the character. As Shannon introduces The Driver to the car he’ll be using in the getaway, a song called Tick of The Clock by the Chromatics starts to play in the background as The Driver begins to finally look up in front of him from putting on his gloves and admire the car he’ll be using. The music coming in at this particular point is iconic as from The Drivers perspective he’s starting to feel excited and in a way anxious about wanting to drive the car. The music pulses away in the background and begins to get louder as he gets into the car and cuts to an establishing shot over the city.

Close ups of The Drivers face are shown as he’s driving to further show how controlled he is over the situation,  another close up of him setting his watch on a timer shows how meticulous he is in his method and actions. He sets up a radio to track police movements and also puts on the car radio to listen to the same Basketball game he was listening to in his apartment. As one of the criminals gets into the car, close ups and extreme close ups of The Driver and his watch are shown to give more insight into his character, he has rules and if they’re not stuck by he will drive and leave them. As the second crook enters the car, he snaps his head back in front of him onto the road as though he can finally drive away. The next few scenes are him getting the criminals away from the crime and towards safety. The camera however never leaves the car; it always stays close to The Driver and is done to capture his way of managing in this world and to show the getaway from the perspective of The Driver and not to show the Hollywood style getaway chase that a lot of audiences expected in this movie.  The Driver successfully gets the criminals safely away under the huge crowds and confusion of the Basketball ending. The characters plan and control finished so perfectly as he casually walks away from the car and even coolly slips passed Police Officers, showing just how comfortable he feels with his plan and within his criminal world.