Leisure
There’s a scene in Drive where Ryan Gosling and his love interest share a passionate, climactic kiss. Then Gosling ruthlessly proceeds to kick a thug’s skull in.
This combination of excessive violence and theatrical set-ups gives Drive a gritty, gore-is-good charm. With quiet, tension-building scenes interrupted by gut-wrenching violence, the film pays tribute to classic car-chasers like Bullitt while mixing in the satirical wit of Tarantino. Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn’s final product is a stylish, bold, and brutal film, filled to the brim with superb acting and beautiful cinematography.
By
Henry Thaler
September 15, 2011