Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn and starring one of today's most exciting actors, Ryan Gosling, 'Drive' is one of the best and coolest films in recent years. A Hollywood stunt-car driver who moonlights as a getaway driver. However, forced to protect a friend he finds himself a marked man after a deal gone wrong.
The film in many ways is anti-Hollywood in it's style and execution. Nicholas Winding Refn's brash European style which set 'Bronson' apart in terms of style and tone, is again extremely evident with 'Drive'. European dance/techno music permeates and accentuates many of the scenes, creating an atmosphere unique to many films. The film's music hints at the protagonists' distance, morality and steeliness without suffocating the audience with it. Nicholas Winding Refn draws out many scenes with elaborate, silent sequences that verge on the hypnotic. Action scenes play out in slow-motion at times, ranging from the stark and brutal to a sort of balletic beauty of entanglement.
Apart from Drive's protagonist, supporting character's offer simplistic dimensions of purpose or emotion: The distressed female, merciless gangster, benevolent friend and the token child. However, their sparseness lends to the sense of emptiness, futility and direct nature of the film. Dialogue is infrequent to say the least but Refn communicates a lot of the film's musings on sacrifice, identity and morality through imagery and silence.
Gosling's performance is probably his best work as an actor. His performance is subtle, restraint and highly effective in quietly emoting the inner confines of the character. Everything from voice to mannerisms, Gosling provides a richly nuanced and evocative performance that has shades of De Niro's 'Travis Bickle' in 'Taxi Driver'.
The film is a must-see! Essentially it is a quietly abrasive and forceful picture that alludes to the sensation of falling asleep in the middle of a blitzkrieg.
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