Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive (2011) races forward in the intense trailer

After winning the Best Director, garnering a nomination for the Palm D’Or (basically one of the highest honors at Cannes) at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, and seeing the release of the trailer, Drive (2011) has forced its way into the upper third of my Most Anticipated Films list.  Acclaimed director Nicolas Winding Refn (Valhalla Rising, Bronson) knows how to film hardcore, intense action flicks that also have some depth to them.  Moving on from visceral performances by Mads Mikkelson and Tom Hardy, Refn has chosen Ryan Gosling as his lead for this film.  Gosling has proven himself to be an acting force to be reckoned with, and much like Leondardo DiCaprio has done since the romance Titanic, Gosling has shed his Notebook roots and become a legitimate star.  Purely based on what’s shown in the preview, he seems to give another tremendous performance here.

 The film follows Hollywood stunt driver, simply known as Driver, who moonlights as a wheelman for the criminal underworld.  After a failed contract, he finds out that a contract has been placed on his head, which also endagers his new neighbor and her son.

One word of caution, though, is in order – this is NOT simply a reorganized Transporter film.  Where those action-films fell short, particularly in the convincing drama area, this film picks up with vigor and a level of artsy-ness, as Refn’s films tend to have.

Drive – starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac, and Christina Hendricks – maneuvers its way onto the silver screen on September 16, 2011.

 

 

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