Drive moves slowly with lots of violence

Rating: 7/10 (6 October 2011)

Trailers made Drive out to be a car heist, action-type movie (probably to attract a wider audience), but the trailers were misleading.
Drive is a slow-moving, violent drama. Ryan Gosling's character spends much of the movie listening or thinking, often while driving, which tends to really stall the movie (especially with the recurring slow-motion camera work). But, Ryan does a good job with an introverted character who tries to help out his neighbor. He makes you want to root for him.
Ryan's awkward love interest is played by Carey Mulligan. She didn't do much with a rather lifeless character.
After an hour to setup the conflict, the movie quickly devolves into a series of very violent encounters which are at odds with the first half of the movie. The stark contrast heightens the violent feel of the film.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie, though it was not what I expected. Ryan Golsing was the highlight of the movie with some great visual camera work and a good soundtrack.