Drive Blu-ray Review

• 23rd Jan 2012

Watching Drive for the second time it hadn’t occurred to me how short the film was – 90 minutes is short these days for a paced thriller. It follows Ryan Gosling’s stuntman driver for hire.

The opening sequence finds him being hired as a getaway driver for a robbery. By the end of it you know that; he doesn’t mind breaking the law; remains silently calm under extreme pressure; is smart to move at the exact moment that he needs to and walks away from trouble just as suddenly.

We then get to find out more about Gosling’s character. He also works in film as a stunt driver and is helping his buddy (Bryan Cranston) work on a deal to do up a new car which they will use to start making some real cash. To do this they get involved with Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman’s money lending businessmen. As he works he also starts to get to know his neighbour (Carey Mulligan) who lives with her son as her other half is in prison.

Chatter is abandoned for silences and mood setting. Character development is dealt with mainly in looks and actions taken. The film also resorts, on occasion, to outbursts of violence which, thanks to the slow and quiet pace, really make an impact when they happen.

Nicholas Winding Refn has delivered what is almost like an arthouse Grand Theft Auto. If that game franchise ever hits the big screen they may want to think about heading down this route. Refn has made his name as a cult director of the likes of Bronsan and Valhalla Rising, but Drive is the film that has really projected him to the big leagues.

Drive topped many critics lists for last year, including Filmwerk’s Top Film of 2011. The picture is great and it comes with an excellent choice of music. Clearly then we have nothing else to say except this is unmissable entertainment.

Bonus features include a badly shot 40 minute interview with the director at the BFI with a very nervous host, trailers and poster designs.

Steven Hurst