Loses appeal as the years go on.

Rating: 9/10 (16 September 2011)

As a young adult, very much into artsy things and low-key films, I remember the day a few of my friends and I were deciding to go see the recent remake of Straw Dogs and I convinced them to go see Drive instead-which none of them had heard of. Not totally knowing what to expect myself we were entertained mildly until the scenes at the motel and the elevator. If you've seen Drive, it is needless to say why. After the watch, it was all we could talk about, especially how great Gosling was in his role-a role certainly made for him due to the lack of speaking and physical language.
On a rewatch as an adult, those scenes that put us over the top into loving this film certainly make less of an impact now, but the message concerning Gosling's "drive" and what it means for a family to have a man who can protect them still stand. As do the more simpler compliments about the Refn's style and directorial choices.
The subtle yet hypnotic 80's retro soundtrack pulls you into a different world that screams cool (possibly a smidge too much). Even the unique retro feel of the hot pink credits add to this art-house vibe we are being induced with.
It isn't much, but I think Refn does a credible job tying in character "drive" with the main plot of the story and conducts a wonderfully artsy show-offy film (whatever that means!). Carey Mulligan is adorable and plays a woman in a hard place. Bryan Cranston plays a poor, sleezy mechanic who aids Gosling's character. The whole thing is relatively low-key, until those certain scenes I already mentioned pop out you in the ways they are meant to. The greatest compliments for this film go to how Gosling's character harkens back to the golden age of cinema and how the tense romance (between Gosling and Mulligan) is the spark that lights up his meter of tension to do the right thing (in the sense to protect this vulnerable family).
In other words, I think Gosling's character goes down in the same category as Travis Bickle in Scorsese's "Taxi Driver"; a great antithesis/antihero. As I already mentioned, the way Gosling's character shines in Drive is reminiscent to the mysterious desperado from when the greats of the golden-era of Hollywood reigned (i.e. Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Charles Bronson, William Holden, Clint Eastwood, etc.), which we do not get wnough of these days.
A film I initially gave a 10/10 has moved down to about an 8.5-9/10 for the appeal it has lacked for me ever since that initial viewing. Dare I say, it was something I overhyped? Possibly, but still worth the watch.