The Best Film of 2011

Rating: 10/10 (19 September 2011)

Drive is one of those rare gems that is pretty much indescribable. It's hard to identify what type of film this is. It isn't really an action film or a drama. What I can determine is that it's a character driven film that is unlike anything else that has been released this year.
The film stars Ryan Gosling as a man only known as the Driver. He has a job as a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver. He gives each person on a deal five minutes and if they are a second too late, he's gone and they are on their own. The opening of the film is quite impressive as it draws you in and shows how much of a professional the Driver can be. He's very much a loner, but he seems to have a pretty good relationship with Shannon (played by Bryan Cranston), the owner of the mechanic shop he works at. The Driver soon meets Irene (Carey Mulligan), his neighbor who lives down the hall in his apartment building. She lives with her son and her husband is in prison, who is going to be released soon. When he gets out, it turns out that he owes some money to some criminals and he asks the Driver to assist him with the deal. Things go wrong and from there, Drive has you in its grip for the rest of the film. It's a slow burn film that can be calm and then, bam, it can turn on you in a second.
The performances are stellar. Gosling is fantastic as the Driver. He plays it calm and cool, with sudden bursts of violence when protecting the people he cares about. He doesn't have a lot of dialogue, but he pulls it off so well. I'm not really a fan of Gosling, but he was really impressive in this. Mulligan does well with the small screen time she's given. Cranston is just as great as he is on Breaking Bad. But the one performance that really stands out from the supporting cast is Albert Brooks. He plays Bernie Rose, a crime boss who you really don't want to be on the bad side of. He's quite calm for most of the film, but when he gets violent, it's absolutely brutal. I'm sure he will be getting plenty of attention come award season. He's phenomenal.
Nicholas Winding Refn does wonders directing this film. He does it with such elegance in each shot. I definitely need to see some of his earlier films. The cinematography is beautiful. The score is great, sounding like something you would hear in an 80s film. It's the first soundtrack I have wanted to go out and buy since Inception. It sounds great.
I have not seen any other film this year that has even come close to this level of satisfaction and excitement. This is a rare film that is just so great and it really sticks with you. As soon as the credits rolled, I knew this was something special that I had just seen. Thank goodness the usual schlock of summer movies has come to an end. Drive kicks off the fall movie season and it brings us the best film of the year thus far.