Drive Movie Review - Style and Substance

Style over substance?

Some people like to use the term 'style over substance' and sometimes that might be the case, but I think style itself is also a really important part of film making and one that can make a movie stand out among others. Drive is definitely a very stylish film, like basically all of Nicolas Winding Refn's movies, but I think it has very interesting characters and an emotional story at its core that only benefits from the stylish visuals and the cool soundtrack.

The story is pretty simple, Ryan Gosling works as a mechanic in his daytime and at night he sometimes takes on jobs as a getaway car driver for criminals. Meanwhile he gets closer to his new neighbor, Carey Mulligan, whose husband is currently in prison...

Great chemistry

The first thing I have to say, is that Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan have great chemistry in this movie and that's part of the reason why you get so invested in the characters and want them to succeed. You actually don't get to know so much about their past and there is also limited dialogue, but you can feel everything through their facial expressions and their fantastic performances.

Retro vibe

Like I said before, Drive is a very stylish movie and it is beautiful to look at. The music and the visuals also have a retro feel to them, which I liked very much. Especially the soundtrack really brings the mood to the next level, with dreamy synth pop numbers, that match the visuals perfectly.

Too Violent?

Violence is another component of Nicolas Winding Refn's movies and I personally think that it made the movie much more gripping. Some people might say it was too much, but I think it was a good way to showcase the urgency of the situation.

Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac and Albert Brooks also all gave very good performances.

Bottom line

Drive is actually one of my favorite movies. It has great visuals, a really cool soundtrack, a gripping story and overall a high replay value.

It is very stylish, but at the core it has really likable characters and real emotions.