DRIVE 3.5****

Most of you remember Ryan Gosling for the 'The Notebook'. A lot of men and some women neglected his acting ability in that role.. But film by film,this young actor has impressed the hell out of m. And now we get to see what kind of chops he has when it comes to an action film. And believe .......he turns it into one of the coolest action movies I’ve seen in a while. It's not your basic shoot- em' up picture. It has this slight 'noire' edge to it that makes it shine much brighter than the rest.

The film stars Ryan Gosling as a man only known as the Driver. He has a job as a Hollywood stunt driver but moonlights as a getaway driver. He gives each robber team five minutes to get the heist done and if they are a second too late, he's gone and they are on their own. The opening of the film is quite impressive as it draws you in and shows how much of a professional the Driver can be. He's very much a loner, but he seems to have a pretty good relationship with Shannon, the owner of the mechanic shop where he works. The Driver soon meets Irene (Carey Mulligan), his neighbor who lives down the hall in his apartment building. She lives with her son and her husband is in prison, but is going to be released soon. Our hero gets more than he bargained for when the husband returns.

The performances are stellar. Gosling is fantastic as the Driver. He plays it calm and cool, with sudden bursts of violence when protecting the people he cares about. He doesn't have a lot of dialogue, but he pulls it off so well. And the one performance that really stands out from the supporting cast is Albert Brooks. He plays a crime boss who you really don't want to be on the bad side of. He's quite calm for most of the film, but when he gets violent, it's absolutely brutal.


Regarding the pace of the film. some may call it slow, whereas I call it hypnotic. The lead played by Gosling, is a cold and quiet fellow who barely even speaks, blinks, or give any reference to his emotions. But as the film rolls on, Gosling's character becomes a more vibrant. And by that, I mean more violent. It's not the kind of violence you expect. It’s the subtle yet explosive kind that catches you by surprise. And then the movie does nothing but climb higher and higher with its level of intensity. It takes this stone cold character, and molds him into one cool ass dude

. The cinematography is fantastic, the musical score is hip and awesome, and the acting is top notch. Bottom Line, it’s awesome … an art-house action flick at its finest.

Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence, language and some nudity.

Clark