Product Description
Ryan Gosling stars as a Hollywood stunt driver for movies by day and moonlights as a wheelman for criminals by night. Though a loner by nature, “Driver” can’t help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), a young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband. After a heist goes wrong, Driver finds himself driving defense for the girl he loves, tailgated by a syndicate of deadly serious criminals (Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman). Soon he realizes the gangsters are after more than the bag of cash and is forced to shift gears and go on the offense.
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Denmark's Nicolas Winding Refn makes an electrifying return to Hollywood filmmaking with this 1980s-style noir, right down to the synth score and neon-pink credits (he released his American debut, Fear X, in 2003). Ryan Gosling puts his implacable quality to good use as an L.A. stunt driver whose world crumbles when he falls for the wrong woman (Carey Mulligan). Irene is hardly a femme fatale, but her incarcerated husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac), is another story. When her car breaks down, Driver recommends the auto shop where he works with Shannon (Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston). The two start spending time together, but then Standard returns from prison. Driver keeps his distance until he discovers that Standard owes protection money. If he doesn't pay up, Irene and their son will suffer, so Driver offers to handle the wheel during a heist, a job with which he has more than a little experience, as the riveting opening sequence proves. While they plan their score with Blanche (Mad Men's Christina Hendricks), Shannon makes a deal with a couple of gangsters (Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman), but when the plans collide: all hell breaks loose. In adapting James Sallis's novel, Refn builds to a bittersweet denouement, though the bursts of bloodshed will test even the hardiest of viewers. At its best, though, Drive is every bit as gripping as Reagan-era crime dramas like To Live and Die in L.A. and Thief. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Drive (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] Reviews
70 of 83 people found the following review helpful: An Art-House Actioner That Blends Indie Cool With Mainstream Appeal: Watch Out For Spoilers And Enjoy The Ride, By This review is from: Drive (DVD) In a year in which Ryan Gosling could do no wrong from romantic comedy (Crazy, Stupid, Love) to political drama (The Ides of March) to this art house actioner--"Drive" stands as the apex of his career-changing film streak. I have, for many years, declared Gosling perhaps the best actor of his generation. Ever since he burst onto the film scene in the controversial "The Believer," Gosling has eschewed being a mainstream "star." Heck, after "The Notebook," another actor might have taken a very different career path. But Gosling, despite a couple of disappointing forays into big budget Hollywood, has remained true to his indie roots. Until now, that is. This year, he seamlessly blended indie cool with mainstream appeal. Of course, in "Drive" he found the perfect filmmaker and artistic collaborator in Danish auteur Nicolas Winding Refn. The two began a very public bromance and have already embarked on their next film project (2012's Only God Forgives). Winding Refn is an ultra-cool... Read more 36 of 48 people found the following review helpful: If Drive wins no awards, awards have no meaning, By Nightmare Man (Memphis, TN USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Drive (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) What a stylish and beautiful, yet uncompromising and unrelenting drama. It is a violent crime tale, but it is also a love story of rare restraint and deeply moving selflessness. Ryan Gosling deserves a best actor nomination, Albert Brooks a best supporting actor nod. The film itself is entirely deserving of best picture recognition. And the director, I hope, has not exhausted his creative energies with this remarkable effort, because he appears entirely unswayed by the shallow and formulaic conventions of today's cinema. And the music ... well, Oscars have been handed out to scores not half as good as this. 7 of 9 people found the following review helpful: Check your expectations at the door!, By This review is from: Drive (DVD) I went into Drive not knowing what to expect, but I'll admit - based on the plot summary and the poster, I was expecting an action movie. However, this was not the case, and I was pleasantly surprised.It's a slower, methodical movie with fantastic bursts of exploitative violence. The acting is terrific, the direction is fantastic, and the sound (I watched it in a theater with awesome quality) is amazing. Check your expectations at the door - this is not Fast Five - and enjoy the ride. |
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