Amazing movie, but not for everyone

Rating: 10/10 (18 May 2012)

I watched this movie because of a recommendation of a friend, and because I enjoyed Nicolas Winding Refn's Valhalla Rising (which is another movie not for everyone). I really, really enjoyed Drive. The trailer gives you the wrong impression of what you're getting into, but that isn't the movie's fault, it's the marketing team's. After watching it I read a fair amount of the reviews here on IMDb, and on a lot of movies I would just chalk up the negative reviews to personal preference; different strokes for different folks and all. I would say the same about this movie, but don't let the content of the negative reviews here dissuade you. I have never written a review for this site, but I have also never had such strong feelings for the reviews either. Many of the negative reviews criticize the acting, specifically Gosling's, and the plot. Those reviews are correct in the Gosling doesn't say much. Neither did Eastwood in the Man With No Name trilogy. There is much more to acting than dialog, which this movie understands, and excels in. As for the plot, all complaints I've read on this site are dead wrong. There is a key point in the plot that many feel is not explained and that is frequently mentioned in this regard, which I won't spoil, but it most certainly is explained. How people could miss it is beyond me in fact.
I absolutely loved this movie, and I will recommend it to anyone who asks. That said though, not everyone is going to like it. It's not an over-the-top action flick, doesn't have flashy special effects or corny action dialog. It has complex human emotion, told not necessarily through word, but through action and expression, facial and bodily.