Makes you want to get in a car and just drive.

Rating: 10/10 (17 September 2011)

3 1/2 out of 4 points
Like a lot movies now a days, DRIVE belongs in a genre that has been done so many times. Ryan Gosling is a driver by day and a driver by night. He is a Hollywood Stuntman during the day and a getaway driver during the night. He has no emotions until he meets a special woman that lives next door to him who has a kid. Almost immediately they bond. He then pulls off another job that goes wrong and now he is marked for death.
However, what is great about DRIVE is that it is a fresh take on the genre. Yes, it has car chases but not a single moment is CGI which is a nice break. The action of the chases is plausible and the director understands geography very well. But it is the character study of The Driver as well as everyone else and that is what holds the movie from falling apart. Otherwise it would of been all style and no substance. Ryan Gosling and its supporting players are colorful in their roles. Especially Ron Pearlman but its great to see Albert Brooks out of his comedic roles into a role that is serious and scary.
The director is Nicolas Winding Refn who made only two films that I saw, BRONSON and VALHALLA RISING. I didn't finished VR but it was excellent so far as well as BRONSON. He made more movies prior to the two which I would love to see. He is a great art house director and DRIVE does not hide away from that. In fact, bringing the art house style is what help this movie. Any other way would NOT work.
Overall, an excellent film that refreshes a genre that is dated and maybe...just maybe Hollywood will learn from this movie and make more movies like this.