Drive (2011)

Drive is an interesting film. It is a self-aware tribute to '70s exploitation films, yet it plays itself incredibly seriously and subtly. Ryan Gosling play the nameless protagonist with a mysterious past. We never learn much of his past. We as an audience are meant to infer who he is through his actions. Ryan Gosling plays the main character as a rather quiet fellow which enhances the sense of mystery for the character. The quietness of the character throughout the film creates an intentionally jarring effect when he explodes into fits of rage and violence. Like the main character, the film itself acts the same way. The film starts out incredibly quiet and slowly, using the music to drive the story. However when the movie gets to the action, it get freaking intense. There is a ton of gore in this film when the characters commit gruesome acts on each other such as someone's head being blown to smithereens by a shotgun to the head! This film is chockfull of great actors beside Gosling including Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Albert Brooks (Finding Nemo), and Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy, Hellboy). Christina Hendricks is wasted on a small part unfortunately, but Albert Brooks is fantastic as the villain despite being a comedic actor. I highly recommend the film to anybody who is tired of brain dead action films and pandering romantic comedies, and people who just like great movies. However, I must warn people that this film is not for the squeamish. I give the film a 10/10. If you are able to find it in theaters, go to it now! Support a good movie for once and show studios what you really want to see.