Drive - Opening Thriller Scene

Drive (2011) - a film directed by Nicolas Winding, starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan.

Straight away there is a fade from black to a map, the diegetic dialogue of the man we hear on the phone then draws us in. The main character, we assume, has a low voice that immediately grasps the audience's attention. The lighting is dark and atmospheric- it gives a hint of the narrative that our character is dark and mysterious. His character also lures the audience when he gives no reply in the car park. His silence throughout a lot of the opening sequence surprisingly makes it more suspenseful, especially when he's driving, it contrasts to the fast soundtrack and sound effects of the car and forces us to feel tense during the car chase.

It's night-time and begins in what  looks like a hotel room. We later see that it's set in florida from use of dialogue from his friend. It could be set in modern day but due to colours and lights could be in the 80's or 90's. The establishing shot through the window shows us it's in a busy city and hints at him going out since he has his bag ready and is talking to someone in a affirmative tone about his plans. The rest of the scene takes place in the car but cleverly finishes by him getting out of the car park (possibly at a stadium) and disguising himself as a fan - which he may well be as foreshadowed in the opening shot of the television with the game on ->

The tone of the scene is intense, suspenseful, often low lit which adds to the crime aspect- often happening in the dark. Lights that focus on main character's face when he's driving emphasizes his emotionless face during the dangerous situation he's in. The subtle, suspenseful non-diegetic soundtrack also hints at the thriller genre. 

The robbers costumes are very stereotypical. Balaclavas and all black clothes to blend into the nighttime. The camera angles are mainly made up of close ups on his face to capture his reactions or lack of during the intense situation. The sound effects of the engine and car speeding up also adds to the intensity. 

The character positioning of him facing the window, at the beginning, foreshadows where the car chase will take place. 

We can tell he's a getaway driver almost straight away as he hints it on the phone, he is un-charismatic when interacting with anyone else, and he keeps a low profile. I imagine he doesn't enjoy his job but is clearly a skilled driver and gets payed a LOT for it but I don't think he's proud of what he does. The rest of the characters have little importance in the scene as well as little importance to him. He says "anything a minute after that and you're on your own" which tells us he's only doing it for the money. He seems like he does this regularly as when he visits the garage to get the car he has others lined up and is friendly with the man like they've met before. 

I think it successfully engaged the audience and tells you a bit about this character we're following while hinting at a narrative. Maybe we see his story unfold- possibly what lead into becoming a getaway driver.  It could follow a linear narrative of his life from now on- maybe he gets caught or in trouble at some point. Maybe he wants to pursue a career in baseball but can't because of his criminal record.