Review of Drive (2011) by Jake H — 12 May 2014

One of the most stylishly put together films of this decade. A modern crime thriller/"80's vice" hybrid featuring some of the most haunting, elegantly offbeat cinematography, editing, and storytelling I've seen for a long, long time. Ryan Gosling plays "Driver", a character who speaks with body language and facial expressions more than with words. His ability to seamlessly transition between a soft-spoken, gentle, lovable side and a horrifically violent, explosive criminal is riveting, to say the least.

Director Nicolas Winding Refn achieves a consistently tense atmosphere throughout the entire film, although uses the relationship between Driver and Irene to provide genuine smile-worthy moments here and there.

Supported by a phenomenal cast including Bryan Cranston, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, and Ron Perlman, as well as a heart-pumping, 80's-esque electronica soundtrack, Drive is a ride you don't want to miss (as long as you can handle gratuitous, stylized violence).