Driver is a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Though he projects an icy exterior, lately he’s been warming up to a pretty neighbor named Irene and her young son, Benicio. When Irene’s husband gets out of jail, he enlists Driver’s help in a million-dollar heist. The job goes horribly wrong, and Driver must risk his life to protect Irene and Benicio from the vengeful masterminds behind the robbery.

Credits: TheMovieDb.

Film Cast:

• Driver: Ryan Gosling
• Irene: Carey Mulligan
• Shannon: Bryan Cranston
• Bernie Rose: Albert Brooks
• Standard Gabriel: Oscar Isaac
• Blanche: Christina Hendricks
• Nino: Ron Perlman
• Benicio: Kaden Leos
• Tan Suit: Jeff Wolfe
• Cook: James Biberi
• Doc: Russ Tamblyn
• Chauffeur: Joe Bucaro III
• Young Woman: Tiara Parker
• Hitman #1: Tim Trella
• Hitman #2: Jimmy Hart
• Waitress: Tina Huang
• Stripper: Andy San Dimas
• Bearded Redneck: John Pyper-Ferguson
• Masked Man #1: Craig Baxley Jr
• Masked Man #2: Kenny Richards
• Assistant Director #1: Joe Pingue
• Assistant Director #2: Dieter Busch
• Caterer: Chris Muto
• Newscaster: Rachel Dik
• Waiter: Cesar Garcia
• Movie Star: Steven Knoll
• Movie Star Girlfriend: Mara LaFontaine
• Police Officer: Teonee Thrash
• Basketball Announcer (voice): Ralph Lawler
• Police Actor in Makeup Chair (uncredited): Rio Ahn
• Actress (uncredited): Laurene Landon

Film Crew:

• Original Music Composer: Cliff Martinez
• Dialogue Editor: Dan Korintus
• Casting: Mindy Marin
• Thanks: Hugh Jackman
• Director of Photography: Newton Thomas Sigel
• Foley: Catherine Harper
• Foley: Christopher Moriana
• Unit Production Manager: Jeffrey Stott
• Post Production Supervisor: Michael Toji
• Associate Producer: Joe Fineman
• Sound Designer: Lon Bender
• Producer: Gigi Pritzker
• Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
• Producer: Marc Platt
• Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Robert Fernandez
• Leadman: Freddy Waff
• Casting Associate: Kara Lipson
• Thanks: Alejandro Jodorowsky
• Producer: Adam Siegel
• Thanks: Hossein Amini
• Co-Producer: Frank Capra III
• Production Design: Beth Mickle
• Executive Producer: David Lancaster
• Digital Intermediate: Stefan Sonnenfeld
• Executive Producer: Peter Schlessel
• Producer: Michel Litvak
• Executive Producer: Gary Michael Walters
• Art Direction: Christopher Tandon
• Unit Production Manager: Jim Behnke
• ADR & Dubbing: Joe Cappelletti
• Makeup Artist: Ronnie Specter
• Novel: James Sallis
• Executive Producer: Linda McDonough
• Executive Producer: Bill Lischak
• Editor: Matthew Newman
• Sound Effects Editor: Kerry Ann Carmean
• Lighting Technician: Anthony G. Nakonechnyj
• Co-Producer: Garrick Dion
• Co-Producer: Jonathan Oakes
• Producer: John Palermo
• Costume Design: Erin Benach
• Special Effects Coordinator: James Lorimer
• Costume Supervisor: Jean Rosone
• Property Master: Will Blount
• Visual Effects Supervisor: Dottie Starling
• Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Dave Paterson
• Stunt Coordinator: Darrin Prescott
• Music Supervisor: Brian McNelis
• Dialogue Editor: John C. Stuver
• Sound Designer: Victor Ray Ennis
• Visual Effects Supervisor: Jerry Spivack
• Creative Consultant: Stephanie Wilcox
• Still Photographer: Richard Foreman Jr.
• Set Decoration: Lisa K. Sessions
• Set Costumer: Mustapha Mimis
• Digital Intermediate: Devin Sterling
• Sound Effects Editor: Peter Zinda
• Digital Intermediate: Mike Chiado
• Hairstylist: Linda Arnold
• Steadicam Operator: Gregory Lundsgaard
• Location Manager: Rob Gibson
• Unit Publicist: Cid Swank
• Special Effects: William H. Schirmer
• Makeup Department Head: Gerald Quist
• Art Department Coordinator: Joshua Dobkin
• Construction Coordinator: Denis Cordova
• Sound Recordist: Krissopher Chevannes
• Visual Effects Producer: John Myers
• Camera Operator: Luca Mercuri
• Rigging Gaffer: Dana Arnold
• Digital Intermediate: Liam Ford
• Music Editor: Annette Kudrak
• Transportation Coordinator: Bret Stewart
• Picture Car Coordinator: Paul Schwanke
• Script Supervisor: Jane Goldsmith
• Hair Department Head: Medusah
• Music Supervisor: Eric Craig
• Stunts: Craig Baxley Jr
• Co-Producer: James Smith
• Songs: David Grellier
• Set Dresser: Michael Mestas
• Set Dresser: Raymond Waff

Movie Reviews:

• Gimly: The patient-man’s _Transporter_.

  I’ve never been much of a Ryan Gosling fan (probably why it took me five years to get around to watching _Drive_). I am a fan of virtually every other cast member in the movie, but I didn’t know any of them were in it before I started watching it. _Drive_ wasn’t enough to bring me around on to the Ryan Gosling train, but I’ll tell you who it definitely did put me on to: Director Nicolas Winding Refn.

  The direction is truly king here in _Drive_. There are a couple of stylistic choices that didn’t work for me, like the repetitive vocal-heavy montages, and I was not at all enamoured by Gosling’s character (he seemed like kind of a dick). But overall I was impressed, and will definitely be on the look out for Refn’s work in future.

  Not only did _Drive_ feature some grandly intense bursts of ultra-violence, it also gave me my first jump scare to make me actually jump in… God… Years. At least.

  _Final rating:★★★½ – I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._

• John Chard: Fate? Unknown…

  Drive is directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and adapted to screenplay by Hossein Amini from the novel of the same name written by James Sallis. It stars Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks and Ron Perlman. Music is by Cliff Martinez and cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel.

  Driver (Gosling) has a day job, he’s a Hollywood stunt man, but by night he makes the serious cash as a getaway driver for the criminal fraternity. Into his life comes married next door neighbour Irene (Mulligan) and her little boy Benicio (Kaden Leos), pitching him right into the middle of two wars; one is for his emotional worth, the other with the criminal underworld.

  Real human being, and a real hero.

  They cheered at Cannes, it has garnered instant cult classic status as well as gushing critical praise, Drive is arguably the biggest surprise of 2011. Some would debate that it arrived in a year that was dominated by blockbuster brain drains and pretentious parables, meaning it wouldn’t take much for something like Drive to find a favourable audience. Yet Drive is a special movie, the surprise being that it delivers a different film to what the plot synopsis suggests. There would have been many disappointed that it didn’t turn out to be something akin to The Fast & The Furious 19, but as its reputation grows, one likes to think that many also had their senses tingled unexpectedly by Refn’s western done out in 1980s neo noir attire.

  Yes, at first glance it looks like a simple story given over to style over substance leanings, where the fact that our laconic protagonist is not prone to dialogue expansion, could lend argumentative weight to those potential dissenters only skimming the surface of the picture. But the material is in excellent hands, with Refn, Sigel, Gosling and co, calmly unravelling Amini’s stripped down screenplay to reveal a gritty urban fable that’s laced with ethereal overtones. A picture where a look means more than any words can express, a subtle holding of hands reveals many layers peeling, and then the serene state of play often gets punctured by bouts of shocking violence, yet always it remains a picture big on intelligence, beating a mighty heart in the process.

  Propelling the picture forward is the complexity of Gosling’s driver character. He has no back story for us to work from, and he gives nothing away outside of the tender bond formed with Irene and child. He is actually one of many purposeful grey areas (or should that be gris areas?) within the plot structure. We learn just enough to be on his side, a noble but flawed hero battling against fate as he fights for the innocent, he be Shane for a modern pot boiling Los Angeles. Helps, too, that he’s so cool behind the wheel, where he mines Steve McQueen’s effortless charisma. Refn delivers magic moments of car play, from the near ten minute opening getaway extended sequence, to a high speed kill or be killed pursuit, when the action flows it really pumps the adrenalin.

  Gosling is amazing, instantly iconic, soft voice matching his soft blue eyes, toothpick perched between teeth, it’s a testament to his acting ability that the requisite homages to iconic characters of movies past never veers into parody territory. It’s with the calm moments that he triumphs most, be it watching TV with the boy Benicio or just gazing intensely into Irene’s eyes, Gosling has a magnetic quality of some significance. Mulligan, too, is wonderful, deftly underplaying Irene to work off of Gosling to create heart aching tenderness, their chemistry superb. Isaac does fine work with the ex-con/husband character that is thankfully not stereotypical, Brooks is Colm Meaney like, thriving on simmering badness, while Cranston puts real heart into the role of Driver’s garage boss, the closest thing the Driver has to a pal. The only one dimensional character lands in Perlman’s court, but Perlman is such an ebullient and watchable life force the film survives the character’s oafness.

  From the opening pink neon credits, accompanied by the synth plink of a retro 80s soundtrack (a soundtrack so memorable it lands in the ears and stays there for days), it’s evident that Refn is a man who takes his style serious. Drive is full of classy (yes arty) passages, fluid camera movements, single takes, non central framing of characters, slow motion unfurls and eye dazzling chopper shots of a neon lighted L.A., the director has an eye for the quality required to cloak his story. He of course is aided considerably by his editor Matthew Newman, and Sigel’s photography. The former is dealing in seamless precision, the latter a master of shades (a lift sequence is to, ahem, die for) and colour toning delights. Marking this out as a Blu-ray essential.

  You can name about ten films that Drive has been either likened too or put forward as an influence, and Refn’s work here has been touted as an offspring created by Michael Mann, Walter Hill, William Friedkin and Sergio Leone (all viable and all actually high praise indeed). But rest assured, Drive is still fresh and exciting, the perfect movie package. Refn’s masterpiece and one of the best films of 2011. 10/10

• RustyBoi: One of the best films ever made in my opinion. Nothing about this felt boring like people said. Just don’t go in expecting an action movie. 10/10 Masterpiece.