Drive: Heroism at it's most brutal

Having watched what has now become one of my favourite films of all time last year, Drive, I thought it would be rude not to indulge myself in the novel that forms the basis for this stylish, slick and unforgettable film.  Yes, I know you should always read the book before you see the film, I failed with this one, in my ignorance I had no idea that the film was based upon James Sallis' neo noir novel of the same name until the credits rolled at the end.      Needless to say I sat open mouthed and made damn sure I got my hands on the novel as soon as I got back into work the next day.  It's only now, with the release of the DVD that I have read Sallis' masterpiece, as I thought it only right to read the novel before I rushed out to buy the film to watch it again.

It is very easy to see where the style of the film comes from when you read through the pages of Drive, it's rawness, it's unsung and violent hero and it's glorious representation of driving in the extreme.  In many ways the novel fills a few gaps that surround the mystery of the main character, Driver, whose identity in the film is very much a mystery.  Sallis tells us a little of the man's past, how he was to become this cold, calculated criminal with a heart of gold and a strong willingness to act upon his vengeful feelings.

The novel itself is about Driver, a character with no other name.  He is a successful Hollywood stunt driver and a car for hire on the side.  It is in his car for hire role that he meets the scum of suburbia, of the inner city as he transports them from heists with no questions asked.  It's because of this side job that he spirals into despair, a heist gone wrong, essentially a set up, he see's those that he cares for fall down around him.  Driver goes on what can only be described as a rampage, he becomes a monster to serve out his own form of justice to a group of hardy gangsters.  It is at this point we begin to really adore Driver in spite of the violence, he becomes a hero with a cause and a hero without conscience.  His duty to revenge becomes his strongest motivation.

What I loved most about this novel was learning about Driver's past, about his family and how he really became the calm monster that he is in the novel's present.  The violence in his past is clearly a strong influence to his character, a father in a life of crime and a mother driven so mad by it that she commit's a final and damning act of violence in front of Driver.  This is really brutal and engaging stuff.  In spite of it's raw and straightforward style  the emotion of the novel is never understated and never lost in the sometimes rather casual violence.


The most difficult thing to explain, and that which I struggle with the most, is our love of Driver.  We shouldn't respect him, we shouldn't be cheering him on, yet we do.  This man is a criminal, and he kills, yet he certainly became a saviour in my eyes, as I am sure he does in anyone's that read the novel.  It's this ambiguity that really embodies the noiresque feel of this novel and what makes the novel so darn cool.