Just drive.

Rating: 10/10 (17 September 2011)

Calm, cool, collected. There are a ton of characters who fall under this description, but there are only a handful that stand out above the rest. Rick Blaine in Casablanca. Jef Costello in Le Samourai. Jack from The American. These characters are methodical. They don't lose control easily, but if they do you would never know.
It's safe to say that the Driver from Drive can be added to that prestigious list.
Drive is the cool, smart, festival favorite of the year helmed by Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson, Valhalla Rising, Pusher). Based on the book by the same name, Drive follows the Driver, played by Ryan Gosling in a tour de force. He's a nameless, mechanic who does a few jobs on the side. Sometimes he's a stunt driver for Hollywood movies. Other times he's a getaway driver. Regardless the setting he works with efficiency and composure.
His handler Shannon, played by a fantastic Bryan Cranston, extorts his talents at the shop and with other jobs, but the driver doesn't mind. Shannon is a guy with the best of intentions just trying to get luck back on his side. His problem is associating with gangsters, played by Albert Brooks in a surprisingly nasty performance and Ron Perlman, his nasty partner in crime.
The driver, with his tough exterior and cold stare, has one soft spot; his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son Benicio. Her husband is currently doing a stretch in prison and the driver takes it upon himself to keep her safe, even when things start to get really ugly.
Drive is a samurai type story set in Los Angeles. The driver has morals that he stands by. He doesn't take advantage of people, he isn't concerned with material things, and if you wrong him you better run. Gosling plays the role with a certain grace rarely seen on the big screen. He speaks with his facial expressions. A glance, a twitch resembling a smile. When he does speak you listen. His words are selected carefully. No small talk, just enough to get his point across. He does the rest of the talking with his hands.
The rest of the cast does an excellent job. Mulligan continues to shine as well as Breaking Bad's Cranston. Cranston especially had a certain quality about him. The way he carried himself made me feel like he knew exactly who he was playing and what he had been through. It was interesting seeing Brooks in a tough guy role, seeing as he seems to nab the slightly neurotic and always comical characters (Finding Nemo, The In-Laws, Defending Your Life), and Perlman continues his string of rugged performances.
Refn's style carries over from his previous films, an impressive feat considering he's used three different cinematographers on his four major films. There's violence when there needs to be, there's an excellent musical selection, and there's fantastic camera work. The angles, the cutaways, all perfect. He manages his action scenes with extreme care. We get an excellent dose of action with character decision and reaction. He doesn't bog us down with a heavy musical score or a plethora of shaky cam cuts. We get nice, smooth shots, showing us the craft of the chase.
This film is going to be a slow mover for some viewers. If you're looking for a high octane thrill ride, I would either prepare for a bit of a wait, or go see something else. There's a lot of waiting, but if you can handle the wait it is well worth it. It's more violent and more intense than The American, which might have been the most underrated movie last year, but it shares in that less is more quality.
A big win for both Gosling's career and Refn. With his last string of movies Gosling has really stepped up his game. He's more than just a face. This role allowed him to look good and kick some ass, all without taking his shirt off, something a standard Hollywood action flick would require. Expect this film to maintain it's headway heading into award season. I'm basically guaranteeing at least Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor nods, with the possibility of supporting actor nods for Cranston and Brooks. Who knows, it could be a double nod year for Gosling who's co-starring with Clooney in Clooney's The Ides of March.