Review of Drive (2011) by Ken S — 06 Jun 2015

Every now and then, a film comes out that clearly shows the line between general audience and movie lovers and 2011 saw the release of a film that falls into this category: Nicolas Winding Refn´s "Drive".

We follow an unnamed driver who works as a stunt man but also as a getaway driver. Soon he comes across his neighbor Irene and her son Benicio and soon starts to bond with them.

With such a big reputation and often being hailed as a masterpiece, expectations surrounding this film are extremely high and it is absolutely remarkable that a little independent film like this could be filled of greatness. "Drive" is a film that counts with a solid screenplay, acting that relies in body language and the execution is extremely impressive, gorgeous cinematography that masterfully creates a neo noir atmosphere/style, characters that are useful to the story, a great use of violence as it helps the narrative, a beautiful and memorable soundtrack, spot on use of the camera -angles, placement and movement- , well shot car chases, symbolism that despite the fact it is pretty obvious it still has power and meaning to this story, a mixture of various cinematic elements/genres -the western formula, 2000´s neo noir, a story reminiscent of the 70´s, an 80´s like soundtrack, etc.- which execution is jaw dropping, Refn´s direction manages to handle this big amount of elements and make them work in a beautiful artsy way, the pacing is slow due to the fact is all about setup and the payoff is exciting and worth waiting for, the storytelling is pretty straightforward and masterful as it relies on visuals rather than dialog, numerous memorable moments, a smart editing, and it manages to keep you on the edge of your seat.

"Drive" is masterfully made art film that works as both a homages and a smart mashup of various cinematic troupes. The greatest film of 2011 and Refn´s definitive masterpiece. If you expect a car movie like "Fast and Furious" then you should avoid this film at all cost but it is a must see if you call yourself a lover of the seventh art.