Drive Review
Since making its debut back in May at the Cannes Film Festival, Drive has been getting universal praise. Believe the hype. Oscar season is officially upon us and so far, Drive is in an entirely different league than the other movies released so far this year. With several great looking films coming out in the next few months, it will have some legitimate competition, but as I see it, I don't predict it falling out of my top three for 2011.
Ryan Gosling plays the nameless driver, who officially works part time as a mechanic and a Hollywood stuntman. Unofficially he moonlights as an incredibly meticulous wheelman. Gosling's performance is incredibly straight-forward and at the same time one of the best of the year. Carey Mulligan plays The Driver's neighbor and the relationship the two form comes full circle and becomes the vehicle(no pun intended) for the film's events. The great supporting cast of Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman are nothing short of astounding either and make this one of the best casts I've seen recently.
As much hype as this film has gotten in recent weeks and months prior to its release, as far as I'm concerned, every single bit of it is well deserved. Nicolas Winding Refn and crew have crafted and absolutely perfect film. From the score and character development, to the brilliant cinematography and pacing. There are several moments which defy usual Hollywood logic and yet are still free from feeling like a plot twist for the sake of keeping the viewer entertained.
Every year there are one or two films that are more than simply entertainment. This is one of those movies. Drive is thrilling, visually astounding, surprising, heartbreaking and overall one of the best movies I've seen in recent years. What Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs did for film noir in the 90s I have a feeling Drive will do the same in this decade.
Drive is in US cinemas now. The film released in the UK on September 23rd.
