Gosling's Stoic, Enigmatic Driver Helms a Daring, Unconventional Take

Rating: 8/10 (31 May 2012)

A ridiculously stylish, unusually-paced take on the crowded action genre. It's almost unheard-of for the lead in this type of film to be so stoic, contemplative and softly spoken, but in this instance it works magnificently thanks to a deep, powerful performance from Ryan Gosling and a masterful sense of directorial timing. Gosling's nameless wheelman speaks maybe one full page of very limited dialog throughout the picture, but the deliberate way he pauses to contemplate before acting (and the broad range of subtle facial ticks he broadcasts in the process) tells us more than an encyclopedia of dialog could ever manage. Without the rudder of a brash, charismatic lead, the plot often flirts with disarray amid a very loose structural backbone. Ultimately, though, it flows surprisingly well despite those departures, the lull of its often slow, casual pace emphasizing a penchant for sharp, sudden skids into violence. My only gripes lie with the shallow, under-explored villains at the heart of all the madness and a shortage of great chase scenes for Gosling to navigate. The few we get are so good, it's a real shame they aren't more frequent.