1. benjiboi

   10

   Drive is a rare film; one beautiful in cinematography, rich in atmospheric sound (its soundtrack being one of the greatest in filmmaking history), graphic in its portrayal of violence and utterly unique in its abstract direction. The storyline is simple (yet utterly compelling) and, in the hands of Nicholas Winding Refn, it is transformed into an artform, devoid of many words but rich in character.… Expand

   • Helpful? 2 of 2 users said Yes.
2. allmovies

   8

   An arthouse film with shameless but aplomb violence, Refn's Drive gripped audiences with shock and adrenaline of the paced sequences and Gosling's portrayal of a cool driver. He may not be similar to the legends McQueen and De Niro but Gosling delivered high caliber style to a dwindling genre of car chase and machismo.… Expand

   • Helpful? 3 of 4 users said Yes.
3. Sleeper

   7

   "Drive" is different. It's a modern western with extremely violent death scenes. It reminded me of Sergio Leone's westerns with the nameless hero at center, cleaning up the mess left behind by very bad people.
   
   While Eastwood's Blondie was a silent type without expression, but still likeable, Gosling's nameless hero is pretty silent, but impressively expressive at the same time. He goes through all the motions with real emotion, and even though none of his back story appears, we know that he has a dark past that has driven him into the underworld, into hiding from something terrible, something that always comes back to haunt him. Albert Brooks is surprisingly effective as a cold, cold bastard. I admit getting a little tired of Carey Mulligan, that sweet wife with the sweet kid, and an unfortunate husband. However, I understood why she was important. The characters seemed emotionally invested in each other, which added context to the action. And what an action. The driving was not disappointing, nor the heavy brutality of the killings, which were just as ugly as brutal as killings must be. Nothing attractive about the violence in this film.
   
   When watching Ryan Gosling, I feel there is finally an actor comparable with the great Jimmy Stewart. He can both act sweet and cruel, desperate and calm, and at every moment believable. Without Gosling, this would have been just another action movie about a loner seeking justice in an unjust world.… Expand

   • Helpful? 3 of 5 users said Yes.
4. TomProCritic

   1

   This film resembles a classic case of "Bait Art" common in contemporary filmmaking, especially among young directors. They lure in film critics who are overwhelmed by a wide range of intense hollywood cinema and give them something digestible- a slow moving, short scripted, uneventful film- market it as artsy and put in some artsy music and artsy shots to complete the picture. Drive, for the rest of us, is nothing more than a ridiculously forgettable movie with some great actors. The film is painfully slow, painfully cliche and above all overdramatic in delivery. It never feels real. Made for the elitist critics, not for people like us.… Expand

   • Helpful? 21 of 56 users said Yes.

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