Drive: Just Entertainment?

Last night was one of those nights when I wanted to watch a movie I could get lost in. Not think about the real world for a couple of hours. Few things let me do that like a good movie or a good book. I searched around Netflix and came across Drive with and decided to watch it on his appeal alone.

From the start, his character draws you in. He’s got this faraway look in his eyes and a determination on his face that immediately make you want to know what his story is.

Drive

I wanted to LOVE this movie because it had so many appealing elements. Super sexy Ryan Gosling in this role makes you think if he drove by, stopped and rolled down the window, you’d be crazy tempted to hop on in and see where he took you.

I wanted to know what happened to him and to the other two appealing characters in the story, his love interest Irene() and her young son, Benicio. The quality of the movie – acting, filmmaking, soundtrack – was all top notch. I’ve always loved Albert Brooks, and he was convincing as Bernie Rose, even if it was a far stretch from his Broadcast News character that I’ve always loved.

The soundtrack is amazing. One of the main songs is called A Real Hero. I love it.

Driver – the main character of this movie – is a hero in that he saves the girl and gets rid of the bad guys.

But as the story went on, and the scenes of violence increased, I began to think about what was actually being shown. A woman’s head gets blown off when a bad guy comes through the bathroom window, firing an automatic weapon.

The main character stomps a guy to death in an elevator. Multiple people are stabbed to death with knives.

I guess I’m thinking about this more in light of the recent mass shooting in Connecticut. We’re all asking the question – why did this happen? What creates a person who can commit such atrocities? I haven’t heard anything yet that makes sense.

It’s easy to say what’s the harm in showing bad guys getting killed in movies? It’s just entertainment. It’s not real. But if it’s undeniable that we as human beings are shaped by what we see and hear, should we wonder what influence this kind of visual violence has on the more impressionable members of its audience?

I don’t know the answer. But even the question makes me uncomfortable. It seems like an answer we should be sure of.

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Inglath Cooper

I love books! From my earliest memories, I loved being read to and then reading practically every book in my elementary school library. There’s something about taking a little trip into a wonderful story that is its own unique pleasure. Over the years, my favorite authors have provided me with glimpses into worlds I would never have known had I not picked up their books. From Beverley Cleary to Lavyrle Spencer to Jodi Piccoult to Anita Shreve and so many others, I am grateful they chose to become storytellers. A great story has the power to move, change and shape its readers. To me, that’s an honorable calling and a task I aspire to.

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