(c/o seat42f.com)

For all of those hardcore Quentin Tarantino fans who are waiting patiently for “Django Unchained,” here’s something to satisfy your appetite for now. “Drive” is visually arresting and startlingly violent: a gory neo-noir film that pays tribute to B-movies and teen films from the 80’s. The prologue itself is probably worth the price of admission. An almost silent beat is heard underneath the dialogue and noise throughout the first eight minutes of the film, dictating the tempo and intensity of the scene. We follow the hero, Driver (Ryan Gosling), who moonlights as a getaway driver for a pair of burglars. It’s probably some of the finest cinematography I’ve seen for a car chase. Thank God there are multiple scenes like this throughout the film.

While he’s not driving for thieves at night, Driver works as a stunt man for Hollywood films during the day as well as in a local car garage for Shannon (Bryan Cranston of “Breaking Bad” fame). Driver is stoic and silent, reminiscent of Jef Costello in “Le Samourai.” He appears to have no family or friends besides Shannon, he lives alone, and he never works for the same people twice. His life of privacy is altered when Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son Benicio move into the apartment next door to him. At this point, Driver begins to open up. He connects with Benicio on some level and clearly becomes smitten with Irene. Problems arise when Irene’s husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) returns home from prison. Instead of being jealous of Driver, Standard, who is in bad standing with the wrong people, pleads with him to be the getaway driver for a pawn shop robbery. Needless to say, shit goes wrong. From this point on, the movie takes off down a path riddled with vengeance and (surprisingly) gruesome violence.

Director Nicolas Winding Refn was chosen for “Drive” specifically by Ryan Gosling, who is a big fan of his previous works. Smart choice, Gosling. Refn adds flare to a film that could have easily been filled with too many high caliber stunts. There’s a reason why he won Best Director at Cannes. Using the pulsating soundtrack, Refn evokes the feeling of driving around mindlessly for hours while blasting electronic music just for the hell of it. Slow motion sequences are common and drawn out much longer than you’d expect which makes the violence even more intense and haunting whenever it directly follows.

The film draws influence from so many other movies that it’s impossible to keep count. At points it reminds me of “Pulp Fiction” and then ten minutes later it feels like a Sergio Leone Western mixed with Steve McQueen’s “Bullitt.” It’s a protean shape shifter that never quits seducing and satisfying the viewer.

One of my personal favorite performances in the film is that of Albert Brooks as Bernie, a mobster who slowly tears apart Driver’s allies. Brooks, a comedian by nature, takes on the role of a dark and sinister rogue who is just as menacing as he is darkly comic. It’s performances like these that make me always advocate for and appreciate comedians playing more intense and ominous characters.

Up to this point, it would appear that I have given “Drive” ultimate approval. However, this is not so. As much as I loved the movie and plan on seeing it again, something indescribable was missing from the story. Or maybe it was misplaced. I can’t quite put my finger on it just yet. I’m sure I didn’t like the character Standard in the film. He didn’t have much of an impact in my mind and he wasn’t on screen enough to make his and Irene’s relationship a realistic one in my opinion. Perhaps there are multiple human connections in the film that just don’t work. Bryan Cranston never seemed extremely important to me in the film. But I could easily be wrong. This is a film that deserves a second viewing and I plan to do just that.

In the end, I’d easily recommend the film to anyone who wants to see a well-crafted story with brilliant directing. However, I can’t promise that everyone will like this film. Similar to Tarantino, some will click with the film instantly and fall madly in love while others will criticize it and throw it in the trash. Either way, it is a must see.