Original take on the classic action hero movie

Rating: 9/10 (15 April 2012)

First off I want to say, I love this movie. To me and many other reviewers it's an artsy and fresh take on the classic action hero movie. The pace and atmosphere along with the soundtrack completely sucked me in. I had my doubts about Ryan Gosling, but after seeing the film I can't imagine another actor more befitting the role. The acting and execution of this movie is, in lack of a better word, COOL!
I've read a lot of reviews about this movie here on IMDb and people seem to either love it or hate it. And that's OK. People have their likes and dislikes. But what annoys me is when people slag the movie off because it's not what they want it to be. I've read many strange complaints. For example, some reviewers don't like our hero's outfit that stays on him for most of the movie or his behavior/personality. As many other aspects of this movie I think these elements are simply an ode to the classic movie hero, as well as an artistic take that we rarely see in action movies. It also helps mystify our hero. Some complain the plot is too thin. Bet you didn't complain about that after seeing the Fast and the Furious!? I agree, the plot is thin and somewhat diffuse, but as stated above the core of this movie is the classic action flick, and so in many ways it stays true to that style. The plot may appear even thinner as the movie is not as CGI or explosion fueled as most action movies.
Many of these negative reviewers could just as well say they hate apples because they don't taste enough like oranges. If you bite into an apple but are expecting and wanting the taste of an orange you'll be disappointed, but don't slag the apple off for not succeeding at imitating an orange. It's simply not an orange. If you can't roll with the unexpected, then don't watch this film. With this movie a lot of people seem to have expected it to be a more standard action movie with clearly defined characters and plot. The first few minutes of the movie can be a little misleading as it appears to be a straight forward action/car chase movie. But to my pleasant surprise it wasn't. The base of this movie is the retro action flick with the unchanging and determined hero at the center, but Danish director Refn has transformed this blueprint into an exciting, gritty, modern, and somewhat ambient package.
I appreciate many have never heard of Winding Refn (the director) or seen his movies, but what I can say is don't expect this guy to produce a standard blockbuster (at least not yet), expect something different instead. This is without doubt the best new movie I've seen in a long time.