Five-Word Review: Slowly Hypnotic, Fantastically Compelling, Intelligent

Rating: 8/10 (12 November 2015)

Drive, from director Nicholas Winding Refn, (Bronson) concerns a mysterious, unnamed getaway driver/stuntman played by Blue Valentine's Ryan Gosling, who despite his strict personal set of rules becomes empathetically embroiled in the life of a woman (Carey Mulligan, An Education) and incites the wrath of brutal crime boss Albert Brooks (Broadcast News).
Drive is a certain opinion-splitter. Some will write it off as a boring, pretentious art-house film whilst on the other end of the spectrum there are those who will proclaim its glory to the heavens as the greatest film of all time. Of course it's not either, though it leans considerably towards the latter.
I really loved Drive. Having never watched many art-house films I was a little apprehensive before watching it, having heard such varying things about it. The best thing to do is watch it without knowing much about it. However, the chances are you have heard of it, so all you should know is what you will get. Which, in essence, is an intelligent and supremely acted crime drama which hinges on neo-noir, blended with an incredible soundtrack, brutal bloody violence and some exhilarating scenes of driving action. It's very easy to see how Drive inspired the fantastic, hypnotic indie game Hotline Miami, in addition to 2014's Nightcrawler. The pulsating night-time city setting and sociopathic protagonist is a clear inspiration for Jake Gyllenhaal in the latter, whilst The Driver's iconic jacket and car, plus the spell-binding retro synth soundtrack and über-bloody, compelling violence are what makes the 2012 video game what it is. Gosling and Mulligan are wonderful in their roles, though they are overshadowed by the tough, murderous psycho brought to terrifying life by Albert Brooks. Unexpectedly scary, Brooks' crime-lord character dominates the screen in all his scenes. Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston, along with Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks, and Ron Perlman, round out a stellar supporting cast.
However, Drive is not perfect. Winding Refn's direction is for the most part good, though there are undeniably too many scenes where the camera lingers far too long, usually on the face of Gosling's character, or where characters sit in silence. The decision to limit Gosling's dialogue is a great decision for his character, though the lingering, silent scenes are a little too common to make Drive truly extraordinary. But for the most part this is an incredible film, hypnotising and mostly compelling, boasting one of the best soundtracks ever out in a film, with a plot that never fails to interest and full of emotional connection. 88/100