Review of Drive (2011) by Finnatic — 17 Sep 2011

Ryan Gosling scores another winner with this compellingly atmospheric drama/thriller hybrid. Ryan plays an emotionally detached character, Driver, who has a simple 5 minute rule. You hire him, and he's there for you completely for 5 minutes.

Anything a minute either side of that, and you are on your own. What a setup! There's not a lot of dialogue from Driver, but what there is is acted out so well and glues you to your seat. The perfectly tuned soundtrack serves as another character in the film, helping to steer the action and heighten the emotion of the film.

I can't say that I've ever seen a movie quite like Drive before. Sure, there are some similarities to other movies. The soundtrack alone reminds me of something out of Michael Mann's earlier works.

But there's more here than even the pieces of homages to other times could possibly add up to make. There's been discussion about the very 80's lipstick font chosen for the titles of the film. I think this was done purposely, to evoke memories of another time.

Drive will transport you away from the everyday into a taut and tense emotional vehicle that will leave you wanting more by the time it all inevitably ends. Highly recommended and not to be missed! See you at the popcorn stand.