What's it about?
Driver (Ryan Gosling) is a part-time Hollywood stunt driver, part-time mechanic, part-time criminal getaway driver. After finding out his neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan) is being threatened by murderous thugs he is determined to protect her and her little boy, leading to some heavy conflict between him and the Mafia.
It's an incredible performance from Gosling, Drive being his third 'mainstream' film this year. (The others being Crazy, Stupid Love and The Ides of March). He's definitely a star in the making. Its hard to believe he started off as a mouseketeer on the hit Disney show The Mickey Mouse Club, starring along side Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Since then he's played a Jewish neo-Nazi in 'The Believer (2001), a drug-addicted teacher in Half Nelson (2006) and a man who falls in love with a doll he found on the internet in Lars And The Real Girl (2007). His character in Drive is a far cry away from his character in The Notebook (2004), he's the silent type, someone who I believe has maybe watched too many Gangster movies and is trying to live out a fantasy, hence the toothpick (a little symbol of Clint Eastwood there you may notice) Pare that with a scene of a guy getting his head kicked into a bloody mess and you've got your 'Hero'.
There's no need for dialogue in this film which is good because theres hardly any especially with regards to Gosling's character, but in my opinion it doesn't need endless lines of conversation, the film is about this guy trying to find his place in the world. There's a quote from Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, best know for 2008's Bronson, starring Tom Hardy, on how he describes the film, "It's about a man who drives around listening to music because it's the only way he can feel." Refn tells the story through his direction and it works superbly.
The Cinematography is simply incredible, the way the streets glow like neon and the gritty, gloomy look of the car parks and late night diners gives it that post-noir, 80's vibe, along with the 80's music, like the film's, in a way theme song 'A Real Hero' performed by College and Electric Youth, makes Drive a fantastic cinematic experience.
In one sentence:
It's slick, powerful and I guarantee it will be the best most violently fun film you will enjoy watching this year.
