Drive

[Bearcata]

In Theaters: Sep 16, 2011 Wide

Drive - Rotten Tomatoes

Ryan Gosling stars as a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night. Though a loner by nature, Driver can't help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband Standard (Oscar Isaac). After a heist intended to pay off Standard's protection money spins unpredictably out of control, Driver finds himself driving defense for the girl he loves, tailgated by a syndicate of deadly serious criminals. But when he realizes that the gangsters are after more than the bag of cash in his trunk-that they're coming straight for Irene and her son-Driver is forced to shift gears and go on offense. -- (C) FilmDistrict

I heard very good things about this movie but missed it in the theaters but caught in with Comcast's On Demand service.

When you read the above description and even see the trailers you think it is your typical gangsters, lots of killing, fast cars, bold bad ass hero etc... Well it is and it isn't. This movie is almost a surreal mood piece, mostly silent except for an exceptional music score that defines the movie, the characters and the plot. The lighting and the camera angles are important actors in their own right as they define the movie.The main character The Driver or The Kid played by Ryan Gosling comes across as very controlled, isolated and very purposeful, smart and very aware of what is going around him. He is not the typical muscular, playboy, loud, blaring antihero we are used to seeing on the screen. He is the ultimate smart survivor in both the real world and the criminal world. When he unleashes his protective instincts he is awesome. The film also showcases how brutal people are and how effectively they can kill. Ryan Gosling's character is nicely balanced by his boss Shannon. The Driver does everything right to protect himself and his boss, Shannon does everything wrong even after having lived with these people for the last 20 yrs or so.

Thumbs up, an A movie.

[ClosetRTWatcher]

I saw this movie a couple of months ago on Blu-ray after hearing differing reviews that essentially said "best movie ever" and "worst movie ever". I likely threw a review in one of the "movies you have watched" threads.

I thought it was really interesting and definitely worth watching. The filming was outstanding and the score really set off the suspense. Instead of being a high energy action film, this felt more like a slow burn. The one place where I had a small complaint was with the brutality of the movie. IMO they took it to a level that felt absurd. I actually laughed at one point, and I'm sure that "laughter" was not the emotion they were trying to evoke in that moment. The love story was nice and seemed genuine, but at the end of the day I wasn't sure any woman should be with a guy that was capable of those things...

[Realitychick]

Loved this movie. Thought it had a non-predictable ending. Loved the soundtrack. Just a different type of movie.