Absolutely Stunning!

Rating: Null/10 (10 October 2011)

I had few expectations walking into the theater to see Drive other than I had read some very favorable reviews and was looking forward to seeing Ryan Gosling's highly praised lead performance. I'm not going to recap the plot here as so many others have already done. However, I will offer the following. There is not one false performance in this movie and Gosling's is clearly the most compelling of all of them - subtle, nuanced and flawless. The film is relatively slow-paced, as films of this genre usually are not, but it still manages to generate a surprisingly strong amount of tension and apprehension. It grabbed me from the very start and literally did not let me go until the end credits came on. A day later the film is still fresh in my mind haunting me with it's grace and brilliance. This is a stunning piece of cinematic art that is both thrilling and thought provoking as well as complex and subtle. Like all great film noir masterpieces, it gets all the notes right. Some other reviewers here are correct. This film is not for everyone. If you thrive on accelerated pace, fast editing and lots of action sequences, this one will probably let you down. However, if you are a fan of meticulous craftsmanship and excellent performances you'll be greatly rewarded. This movie is far from boring. There are some extremely violent sequences but they are explosively brief and well suited to a crime melodrama as well as powerful and effective. Aside from that, it's largely an astonishing, character driven work that is worthy of attention and praise.