Drive 2011

Best film of the year!

Sarah29 Flicks Superstar (?)

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I want to give it 6 stars out of 5! Drive is an unique and captivating story in a genre that doesn't often see originality. The music was mesmerising and really helped to set the tone. Ryan Gosling and Brian Cranston's acting was fabulous and really gave Drive it's WOW factor. While some parts of the story are extremely violent and graphic, it doesn't feel unnecessary and the story wouldn't be as good without it. Drive is hands-down my favourite movie of the year. It is original and interesting and I highly recommend it for anyone not wanting to see another Hollywood action blockbuster that is not simply churned out simply to make money!

High point of 2011 thus far..

Mark-Roulston Flicks Superstar (?)

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It seems to be the case nowadays that film audiences, particularly at this time of year as the summer winds down, are left with a choice of seeing the latest broad appeal movies filling the multiplexes, or venturing to the local independent cinema in search of more intellectual fare. Very rarely will a film transcend these boundaries and offer a mix of Hollywood-style action and arthouse flair, which is what makes Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive so unique and something to be celebrated.

Drive tells the story of an unnamed stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) moonlighting as a getaway driver for a crime syndicate run by Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks). Seemingly a loner, the driver becomes involved in the life of his neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her young son Benicio (Kaden Leos). After agreeing to drive for Irene's newly paroled husband Standard (Oscar Isaac), and finding himself on the wrong side of assassination contract, the driver embarks on a mission to protect Irene from the vicious gangsters who would seek to harm her to get at him. It's a well-worn plotline which in the hands of someone less adept than Refn would likely be nothing more than a forgettable thriller, yet the massively talented director, who picked up the Best Director prize at Cannes this year for Drive, crafts an engaging and thrilling throwback film elevated by masterful performances across the board.

Refn, previously known for the fantastic Bronson, and the lesser known but equally excellent Pusher trilogy, is a man who has very clearly studied his Kubrick. Certainly most modern directors could do worse than imitate the style of one of history's greats like Stanley Kubrick, but rarely does one pull it off with the skill of Refn. In Bronson, the influence was a little more obvious, with the resulting film seeming like something of a spiritual successor to A Clockwork Orange. With Drive however, the traces are a little more subtle, visible in the impeccable technical touches, and the use of dissolves, pensive long takes, and slow zooms, a hallmark of Kubrick's catalogue. Drive is a flawlessly crafted film, filled with beautiful imagery of the Los Angeles underworld seen more often in the work of Michael Mann.

The technical achievements of Drive are more than matched by the acting of the entire cast, and Refn shrewdly selects a wide variety of performers to populate the story. Top notch support comes from Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, the ever dependable Ron Perlman, and particularly Brooks, who jettisons his familiar comedic persona in a truly frightening and villainous performance, which will surely be on the radar of voters come awards season. Mulligan shows characteristic heart in a largely overlooked role, yet the film unquestionably belongs to Gosling. Often heralded as one of the finest actors of his generation, in Drive Gosling delivers his best work yet as the driver; a quiet role that is all the more effective due to the subtlety of the performance. He displays an ability to ratchet up the tension using just the slightest widening of his eyes and tensing of his jawline, and when the character is pushed to act more forcefully, Gosling transitions from almost silent observer to brutal aggressor so swiftly that it leaves one breathless. It's work that he makes look easy, yet it's the most focused performance seen in an action film in quite some time.

There's something undeniably retro about Drive, with its neon opening titles and 80s infused soundtrack, but the film seems remarkably fresh. Smart action filmmaking is so hard to come by these days, so Drive delivers refreshing variety, beginning the time of year when the so-called prestige pictures are released with a bang.

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A modern masterpiece that is also a throw back to the great car movies of the 60's and 70's

PhilMoore Flicks Superstar (?)

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This film is about a man played by Ryan Gosling who is a stunman who also moonlights as a Driver for organised crime. Gosling plays the character cool and quietly. The film can feel like it takes time to get into action and it does, but it only builds the tension to whats coming. This film is not for kids, some scenes are very violent, but it's few and far between. This film also stars Carey Mulligan as a young woman with a little boy who has a husband that just got out of prison. Also involved are Bryan Cranston from Breaking Bad and Malcom in the Middle fame and Christina Hendricks from Mad Men. This is a throwback to the great action car films of the Steve Mcqueen era, having said that it is in its own way very original. I loved this film, im going to see it again soon. It is the best film of the year so far and I highly recommend it.

A nasty bit of work

Ken-Burns Flicks Superstar (?)

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and Carey Mulligan is no schoolgirl in this. Car chasses are nervewracking so take the seats closest to the from.. Not a huge amount of dialogue but this is a cracker

CRAP - Try hardy Tarantino film that fails.

JayC4Shaw Flicks Superstar (?)

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I dont know what everybody is going on about. Lack of dialouge from Ryan (not that he is to blame) was reminiscent of Kirsten Stewart's acting. I don't want to wait five minutes for a response to another characters question. Also, characters were found to do things AGAINST their character - SPOILER: one minute the mother slaps Ryan for pretty much killing her husband, next minute - cheezy spotlight slow motion kiss in elevator, next minute, she witnesses him kill someone, next minute, shes knocking on his door STUPID!!! Why did the strippers sit frozen there when their boss was being threatened. STUPID!!! Also: Cinema hated it, one member said he fell asleep. I cracked up every time there was a five minute pause between sentences. STUPID STUPID - A RIP OFF OF THE MASTERY OF QUENTIN TARANTINO. SUCKS AND FALLS BELOW THE BAR WHEN COMPARED TO HIS WORK. Thank you very much - I want a refund.

Emperors new clothes?

bjeff Nobody (?)

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Couldn't help thinking that all the lingering aerial shots and smoldering close-ups with occasional random (gratuitous?) violent moments didn't make up for a pretty standard plot line.
Kind of like clothes that might be made from beautiful cloth with admirable workmanship but most people still see just the naked emperor.

Never gets out of first gear

Beatnink Nobody (?)

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Not sure if I saw the same movie as the other reviewers but I certainly can't find anything positive to say about this movie. It is boringly slow, has a shallow and unoriginal storyline, and worst of all - it goes way over the top on the violence, turning it into a splatter movie but without any humour.

Drive Verdict

Michael13 Nobody (?)

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I was really looking forward to this movie. I was sitting with someone who liked it so much that they were seeing it for their second time. And so, had to stiffle my giggles so as to not ruin it for them...

It feels like Drive was the brain-child of the writer/director of Fast and Furious who were told by executives to make an 'arty film', and thought, "arty films; they're those ones that are really slow and instead of dialogue they have people staring at each other for interminable lengths of time. Note to self: must remember to add some slow motion and out of focus shots, they're arty as."

It almost works better as an attempted parody than a film in it's own right.

Nice opening scene. Starts to pick up a bit by the end. Not worth the ticket price.

Near perfect

Mick28 A-Lister (?)

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Carey Mulligan could make reading the phone book seem engrossing so she was always going to bring a level of depth to her character. Ryan Gosling on the other hand could be accused from past performances (such as Lars and the Real Girl) of falling on the side of over-the-top. Not this time. Despite the sparse dialogue Gosling is able to bring an honesty to the role of Driver which previous performances might have suggested he was incapable of. Some people complain that there isn't enough dialogue, presumably because they need someone to explain to them exactly what is happening. But this ignores the fact that the performances are so complete and the relationship built between the two leads so realistic that any extra dialogue would be superfluous.

I haven't seen any of director Nicolas Winding Refn's other films (such as the Bronson and the Pusher trilogy) but now I am very keen to check out his previous work. Drive also has a catchy 80's style soundtrack.

SLOW BURN HEAVEN

adamatdramatrain Flicks Superstar (?)

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I loved Nicolas Winding Refn's PUSHER trilogy and BRONSON so I was really looking forward to DRIVE and boy was I not disappointed! If you love Stanley Kubrick and 70's macho movie mayhem then this is slow burn heaven! Think CLOCKWORK ORANGE meets Steve Mqueen's BULLIT and you've got DRIVE - an excellent existential arthouse version of THE TRANSPORTER - only without the six thousand edits per minute! Go, see, but take your brain and be prepared for a slow burn movie experience reminiscent of Kubrick remaking DIRTY HARRY... If only! Best film of the year so far...

Fast cars, troubled souls, and extreme violence.

THEWATCHER A-Lister (?)

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Well DRIVE is pretty much the best film of the year for me. That director likes 80s Michael Mann movies as much as I do. And fast cars. And troubled souls. Don't go if you can't handle some moments of EXTREME violence though. Oof. Brutal. But the tone and clarity of vision are razor sharp. Ryan Gosling is an ice-cool cypher and around him are some of the best low-life characters since THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE. It's a plot in control of a character. Story threads are started then dumped as the script starts to put its blinkers on and focus on the (nasty) task at hand. Nice work. Lean and edgy and artful. Looking forward to RAMPART next...

Drive it home

RealityCheck Flicks Superstar (?)

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Wow, this was nailing bitingly good. I loved the slow pace of the film, taking me back to the 80's. Like Steve McQueen, 'Mad Max', Randle Reigns ('Gone in 60 Seconds'), and 'Bad Leutenant' all in one. Ryan did a fantastic job of bringing this character to a dramatic, hardly speaking, fist clenchingly good. Not as much car racing as I imagined from the trailers, thought it was going to be more like 'Ronin' or 'James Bond' stuff, but it was great anyway. When you go see it, remember its like set in the 80's (camera angles, etc) & you'l enjoy it more. Couple of massive blood scenes but they just add to it.
Genre : action, driving, drama, thriller
5/5 : the way it was directed, the sort of action, the main character, acting, everythign was just very film feastival, 80's in a new way.

Boring

Chris-Burnett2 Nobody (?)

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Tries to hard. Really wanted to like it but just thought about all the films made in the same style that were just much better.

A boring sleeping pill!

Gerd Flicks Superstar (?)

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Primitive script,feels like something I have seen a hundred times before.
Cutting the movie down to 29 minutes would help.

Different!

alpheta A-Lister (?)

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The joy of this type of film is in what it leaves out, rather than puts in, so this was top notch, achieving exactly what it set out to do. Drawing us into the outstanding Ryan Gosling's surrealistically-seeming calm life, which was anything but, and never letting go, I was in turn lulled by the slow pace then shocked by the violence, quite a ride. Sparse, beautifully rendered, great acting. Slight disappointment at his decision at the end, but hey, he didn't have a choice I guess!!!

Perfectly mixed

Deb Flicks Superstar (?)

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A thinking persons gangsta pic. Don't go expecting a big car chase and a shoot em up. Do go to see character development, a slow boiler and no honor among thieves.

Brilliant performances by Gosling & Mulligan

clararar Flicks Superstar (?)

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Judging by the other reviews this film is highly divisive - you'll either love it or hate it, and if you go in expecting a high-octane Jason-Statham-esque action flick, you'll probably fall into the latter camp. Drive is definitely an arthouse movie, and the performances by Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan are masterful. Both actors are able to speak volumes by their actions and expressions without relying on dialogue, something missing in most modern Hollywood flicks. The action sequences, when it happens, are riveting, and the graphic violence will make you squirm in your seat, but all adds to the atmosphere of the story. And the open-ish ending is perfect as well.

Smoky, Saccharine Neo-Noir

Hannah-Carter A-Lister (?)

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In the hands of another Director this film could easily have been yet another standard action movie. Yet Nicolas Winding Refn skilfully guides the audience at his own pace through this story resulting in a smoky, saccharine 80's style neo-noir with a phenomenal soundtrack. The outbursts of violence are blunt and vicious, but stylish and lyrical.

Ryan Gosling's "The Driver" is the epitome of the strong and silent type that our generation has not seen. His backstory is nil, we don't even know his name. His spoken lines are minimal but his character's integrity and purpose are never doubted.