Easily one of the best films of 2011

Rating: 9/10 (31 March 2012)

Ryan Gosling stars as Driver. He's a Hollywood stunt driver by day and serves as a wheelman for criminals by night. He then meets Irene (Carey Mulligan) a beautiful mother whose husband (Oscar Isaac) is just getting out of jail. He falls for her and then trouble starts. Mixed up in this are two vicious criminals (Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman) who aren't above killing to get what they want.
Critics raved about this when it came out but it bombed at the box office. Why? It was pushed as an action picture which this isn't. There IS action and violence but not a lot. It's a fascinating character study of a man (Driver) who has his own code of rules and is a loner--and what happens when he falls in love. The movie is beautifully directed with stunning night time cinematography of Los Angeles. There's also a music score which fits the movie perfectly. It's a quiet slowly paced film but it has bursts of VERY graphic violence which are jarring (but necessary). The acting is great. Perlman and Brooks are chilling in their roles. Mulligan (a very talented actress) isn't in this much but she's right on target when she is. Best of all is Gosling. He's easily one of the most underrated actors of his generation. He has very little dialogue but he conveys everything through looks or body language. You can't take your eyes off him. I won't lie--the slow pace finally got to me by the end but I still HIGHLY recommend this film. Just fascinating.