"It's Bad Luck"

Rating: 10/10 (1 October 2011)

Wow. I was pretty surprised. Drive is certainly not your average, fast cheap-shot action film. It takes its time and rightfully so! The pacing is refreshingly smooth and composed, building slowly up to the sporadic and short outbursts of violence or action. There isn't much violence but it is very direct; realistic would be the right word. Especially the use of it is (which is a big plus for me). There is a quite surreal, dreamlike quality to the film. Even though it has a lot of realistic elements, it still doesn't feel entirely real. There is something off, which isn't a bad thing! In that context "A History of Violence" somehow comes to my mind.
The trailers might give a wrong impression; the film is much quieter than they suggest. There is a clip from the opening on youtube, the getaway scene, which gives a much better feeling for the atmosphere.
Anyway, this is really a fantastic production! The cast is very good. They all made up a rock-solid ensemble, great performances! (If you want to see more of great acting by Ryan Gosling, "Blue Valentine" is highly recommended) The minimalistic and tense soundtrack is a perfect fit (maybe sometimes slightly on the overly-sentimental side), the cinematography is excellent(!) and the director; well, I certainly have to write down his name.
All in all it is truly refreshing to see a film which is simple and minimal but at the same time highly effective. That's the reason I give this film a 10; it doesn't need a much more complex story. For me it perfectly managed to reach what it aimed for. There is real focus and concentration, something you rarely come across these days. For me it's a masterpiece, for sure.