A contender for my favourite of the year so far?

Rating: 10/10 (26 September 2011)

Yes, very likely. Of a very hit-and-miss year so far, I have seen some gems like Tree of Life, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy(the first two in a way are not for everybody though), Rio and Source Code. And then I saw Drive, which was simply brilliant.
Like I said with some of my favourites this year, Drive is not a movie for all. It is a slow-paced movie, but I did not find it "boring"(a term I hate with a passion, as it is massively overused and hardly ever elaborated upon). For me, just because it is slow-paced, doesn't necessarily mean it is going to be a bad movie, only when other components don't work does it apply to me, which is not the case with Drive.
Besides, Drive isn't even the only slow-paced movie around, so I don't know why people have to make such a big deal of it. There are many other movies(Godfather, 2001, Tree of Life, Brokeback Mountain) that are and deliberately so. I feel also that Drive is paced deliberately, for atmosphere.
The pauses and the "sparse" dialogue to me were just two of many things that made Drive so great. There is such an atmosphere here, one that is very tense and beautiful at the same time. The pauses actually helped to enhance this.
Refn does a fine job directing. From his previous work, this director showed promise, and here he delivers all the stops and gives his best directorial job so far here.
The story starts off electrifyingly, and then slows down again without ever feeling dull, thanks to the unrelenting violence, that is part of the world that is shown here through the eyes of the title character, and adeptly edited car/chase sequences. The dialogue I also have no problem with, it is memorable without falling into cliché territory. The characters are credible, especially the titular character, whose characterisation is perhaps the most complex of the year.
The cinematography is truly excellent, as is the editing, bringing much to the atmosphere and I'd also go as far to say that Drive could very well be the year's most visually stylish film. The colours and scenery are lush on the eyes too. The score is every bit as electrifying as the start of the movie, and manages to raise my adrenaline.
Acting-wise I couldn't fault Drive either. Carey Mulligan and Christina Hendricks's roles mayn't be as well written as Gosling's or Brooks', but these two actresses-particularly Mulligan- manage to bring some much needed credibility to them, elevating the characters to a higher level, and Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac, Bryan Cranston and in particular Albert Brooks are terrific. Ryan Gosling is simply mesmerising, in his best performance to date. It is a quiet, yet very charismatic and intensely brooding portrayal, reminiscent of Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver for characterisation and Alan Ladd in Shane in how the role is conveyed.
Last but not least, the elevator scene. Brutal, yet very powerful and moving, I'd say it is a contender for the best scene of 2011. In conclusion, a brilliant film that for fans of films from the 70s and 80s and were expecting a sort of nostalgic throwback in style will appreciate. 10/10 Bethany Cox