Exceptional and exhilarating art house action

Rating: 10/10 (23 February 2015)

Drive was the best film of 2011. Not The Artist. Not The Tree of Life. This. However, many are going to frustrated with Drive as for some reason it was marketed as an action film filled with car chases. Drive is a slow, insightful art house film with brief but exhilarating bursts of heart pounding ultra violence and a lot of emotion conveyed with images instead of dialogue. Drive is far better than a car chase fest, and why it wasn't marketed as the great film it actually was is a mystery. Ryan Gosling's nameless getaway driver gets into trouble when he helps out his neighbour, who he is in love with. Drive could be seen as pretentious or self indulgent, as it refuses to stick to conventions and many shots are just characters looking into the distance. There isn't an awful lot of dialogue; the main character's lines are Harold Pinter level simplicity. Music and visuals speak louder than words in this film, but the dialogue is still very meaningful and there is plenty of emotional content here. Ultimately, the character relationships are moving, although in an understated though still powerful way.
Ryan Gosling, as the main character, has a very difficult job since he doesn't say a lot, but he creates an interesting and memorable character with a minimalistic but powerful performance which allows one to sense the many complexities of his character and his emotions. Everyone does a good job acting wise. This is perhaps a style over substance film, but there is substance in the style. The style itself is extraordinary. Smooth, sleek and dazzling cinematography propel Drive, while the clever use of music adds emotion and drama to an already astonishing film. The action and violence is thrilling but because it is minimal it never loses the key element of suspense. It's such a compelling and intelligent movie it doesn't need a lot of action. The elevator scene will probably go down in history. Drive is a stylish, ultra cool work of art with plenty of depth beneath the surface. It won't speak to everyone, but it's a very fine work and one of the best movies of the 2010s so far. Only God Forgives is thoroughly inferior and shows the style completely dominating the substance. Drive shows Nicholas Winding Refn's fascinating style finding true balance, power and soul.
10/10