Derivative, but none the worse for it.

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2012)

No man is an island, and even on some forsaken windswept rock off the coast of Denmark the warm Hollywood sunshine still has the power to bring forth flowers in the spring. Don't take the word "derivative" to be a criticism, it isn't meant that way. Its OK to be derivative, when one is deriving inspiration from some of the best there is. I didn't know anything about this film before viewing and for the first half hour I was convinced it was a re-make of Walter Hills 1978 classic "Driver" The characters of Cowboy and the unnamed driver are virtually identical, both have an icy cold detachment from the world which only thaws when viewed through the windscreen of a speeding car. Both live in low rent apartments or hotel rooms with seemingly no personnel possessions and both have the same Achilles heel. (is it a co-incidence both leading actors are Ryans? Probably ) The other lead character, LA, specifically LA at night is pure Michael Mann transplanted from Heat and Collateral, the strange 80s soundtrack and green neon title graphics a nod to Miami Vice and later Man Hunter. Mann and Hill were contemporaries, influencing each other, where Hill had his Driver, Mann had his Thief and both clearly have influenced Winding Refn, which is a very good thing indeed.