Outstandingly acted and filmed.

Rating: 8/10 (15 February 2018)

Frame by frame, the cinematography in Drive may well be the most consistent and accomplished style I have ever seen. This use of cinematography, in addition to a largely successful soundtrack presents Drive with a stylish aesthetic.
Ryan Gosling is undeniably superb in the lead role. He perfectly connotes the driver's hollow and broken persona so effectively that at times you are able to virtually feel the subtle tension leaking from his stare and can sense the Bryan Cranston impresses too, however his role is certainly nothing unprecedented.
Drive has extremely violent moments, though on the whole Refn executes these to a commendably high standard. This is in part due to Refn's masterful handling of tension. On numerous occasions did he raise the level of tension, prior to relieving the tension, prior to delivering the climax. Additionally, nearly every violent sequence felt varied and adopting a slightly different style than the last.
Through masterful cinematography, Gosling's exceptional lead performance and some excellently crafted violent sequences, Drive is a high quality experience, if not quite the absolute masterpiece some have hailed it as.