Brilliant remake of 'Thief'

Rating: 5/10 (7 February 2012)

I thought this was a superbly well done film. But it was a virtual remake of Michael Mann's "Thief," with the character and other plot devices borrowed from Walter Hill's "The Driver." It's interesting that none of the articles or reviews I have read about "Drive" made mention of this fact.
Sure, the film was based on a novel, but that is no excuse for a revisiting of the 1981 classic without some attribution. As brilliant as Nicolas Refn is, his brilliance was in replicating the mood of a Michael Mann film, right down to the synth-heavy soundtrack (although no one could do a better job than Tangerine Dream - who did the "Thief" soundtrack - in this department).
I easily could give this film ten stars ... it's that good (including smashing performances by Ryan Gosling and Albert Brooks). But Quentin Tarantino reveled in viewers' noting all of the mini-homages of numerous films which were included in "Pulp Fiction." If Refn had only acknowledged Mann, I'd have given him the same highest rating I gave "Pulp Fiction." Because they have tried to pass this excellent derivative piece off as entirely original, however, I am giving it only five stars. Artistic integrity has to have a price.