Drive Movie Review: Sushant Singh Rajput, Jacqueline Fernandez Rev up on Flat Tires, Fail to Impress

Drive

Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Jacqueline Fernandez, Boman Irani, Pankaj Tripathi 

Director: Tarun Mansukhani

Right off the bat, Netflix release Drive seems like a concoction of various set pieces ripped off from Hollywood films, but what pricks one is it still limits itself within the sensibilities of the Bollywood version of a heist film -- predictable whodunit twists, an unnecessary romance angle and song and shaadi sequences for whenever the plot wears thin. The film lacks humour or seriousness, and an overall tonality too, but keeps meddling appropriately between mediocrity and repetitiveness and tests your capacity to stay glued to the TV and not switch to better streaming options. Well, make the change only if others aren't as obvious as this one.

Drive follows a gang of crooks, who operate out of a warehouse in New Delhi. Their leader, Jacqueline Fernandez, who is also a racer, but looks more like a glamorous, runway model, wants to rob the Presidential Palace off its valuables. Comes Sushant Singh Rajput and the crew of four try and execute the robbery, the nature and method of which is similar to many other films preceding this one -- hack CCTV cameras, enter and execute on an occasion when security is thin and run off in fast, revving cars. What's new is nothing. Moles, security lapses, worrying cops, outsmarting criminals and chases, all are part of Drive's slick, two hour run-time but it seldom goes beyond its self- restricting template.

Sushant's performance is strangely one-dimensional. His go-to expression is to charmingly smile or smirk. Jacqueline has nothing pathbreaking to offer here but pulls off the role and her character at her disposal decently. In many ways, Jacqueline keeps your interest alive in the film and even assists in breathing into the haggard suspense. Drive also has wasteful performance delivered by Pankaj Tripathi and Boman Irani. They play law enforcers, but only to an extent that you can't take them seriously enough. 

The problem with the technical aspects of the film goes beyond every other lapse in performance or script. Race cars sequences are inspired but the CGI is lame and you can easily make out the minimal efforts put in by the makers. Sad thing is, this happens repeatedly and you can't help but find it bothersome. Even lip-sync with dialogues is an issue. At some instances, faces are blurred out or supplementary shots used to hide the fault in dialogue syncing. Seeing this feels weird and discouraging.

Not that there aren't good things in the film. Director Tarun Mansukhani is also the editor of the film and should be lauded for making Drive work in parts, mostly through good transitions and quick cuts. To certain audiences, the film will be over before long and Drive uses it to its advantage. Pacy cuts make the film slick and not a pain as it could have been. Also the background score works in the narrative scheme of things but could have been worked upon better to find something new beyond the obvious.

All in all, Drive is a major time sucker, but since Sushant and Jacqueline are good actors from past films, it may find an audience. Although not beyond a single screening, no.

Rating: 2/5