Cast

Rating:

Video: ★★★★★
Audio: ★★★★1/2
Extras: ★★★1/2
Value: ★★★★

Read more about Drive (2011)

Review:

Video: ★★★★★
Sony’s high definition presentation of Drive is something to behold. It packs a wallop with its tactile textures, vibrant colors (particularly in facial tones), and it’s broad range of  contrast. There are quite a number of dimly lit scenes, particularly the dark of the interior of the car, that display an amazing quality of blacks that are as deep as they can run, while never overwhelming with murkiness. The picture is also clear and void of any debris, and no compression has compromised the image in bringing this to home video. It’s quite a beautiful thing.

Presented in 1080p 2.39:1 aspect ratio.

Drive (2011) | Carey Mulligan and Ryan Gosling

Audio: ★★★★1/2
It may or may not seem like it, but Drive’s sound design is essential to the movie’s success, and thankfully it has been preserved with the utmost care. The opening ten minutes of the film paints a grand picture for the rest of the film, providing nuanced and grandiose sound design, dialogue (though minimal), and heart-thumping music over the opening credits. Though the bass doesn’t have quite as much of an impact as it did in the theater, particularly in the second chase sequence, owners of impressive sound systems probably won’t be able to tell the difference. Overall, this is a very fine demonstration worthy audio track.

English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Extras: ★★★1/2
The special features here are scant, but very informative. An audio commentary would have been very appreciated, however there is quite a lot of information packed into a small amount of features.

I Drive (HD, 05:26)
The cast and producers speak about the story of Drive, and director Nicolas Winding Refn.

Under the Hood (HD, 11:50)
The cast, writer, and producers discuss working on Drive, as well as with each other.

Driver and Irene (HD, 06:14)
The cast, writer, and producers talk about the love story that underlines Drive.

Cut to the Chase (HD, 04:35)
The producers and second unit director reveal the choreography that went into the design of the three different car chases in the film.

Drive Without a Driver: Q&A with Nicolas Winding Refn (HD, 25:41)
Director Nicolas Winding Refn reveals anecdotes on how Drive was made, how he approached the content, and was able to realize his vision.

BD Live Enabled

Value: ★★★★
While the supplements department is less than ample, the picture and audio quality of this disc more than make up for any indiscretions. The extras do pack a lot of insight into a small amount of time though, and shouldn’t be underestimated. Overall, this is a very high quality release that can easily get my highest recommendation.

Will There Be A Double Dip?
If ever there were a film that would find its legs on home video, it feels like Drive would be it. With that in mind, it’s quite possible that down the line there might be a retrospective version that is released with additional supplements, though for how busy these filmmakers are, I would highly doubt that they would sit down for a commentary track or additional interviews. I’d say that even if there was another version of this disc to be released in the next few years, it still couldn’t look or sound as great as it already does.

Read more about Drive (2011)

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks
Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Written by: Hossein Amini
Genre: Thriller

The Man With No Name myth is as old as time. It has been seen most effectively in films like Yojimbo (1961) and it’s Italian-American counterpart, Fistful of Dollars (1964), but remains an effective storytelling device to this day. Drive finds the mythological nameless man (Ryan Gosling) as a stunt driver for Hollywood movies, and a getaway driver on the side. New to an apartment building, he meets and falls in love with his young and adorable neighbor (Carey Mulligan) who is a single-mother. However, when her husband (Oscar Isaac) is released from jail, he puts his family in danger with an unpaid debt to the mob (Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks). To save the family, the Driver agrees to take on a job to square things off – a job that goes oh so horribly wrong.

Thrillers are often the most clichéd of genre films – with characters we’ve seen all too often, doing things we’ve seen a million times, for reasons we’ve endlessly experienced before – so it’s always refreshing when a Thriller elevates itself above banality. Drive doesn’t really do anything we haven’t seen before, however its incredibly economical script filters everything through compelling characters that act out of necessity instead of excess. Every moment of the film is emotionally charged with the intensity of survival, love, or in the best cases, a bit of both.

Ryan Gosling in Drive (2011)

What isn’t advertised for Drive is its brutal violence that is sure to shock most audiences. There are moments of unrelenting, albeit quick, gore that is so utterly jarring it feels like a kick to the gut. However, it is utilized in a similar fashion as Pan’s Labyrinth (2007) in that instead of repelling us, it grips us like a vice and propels the story (or, in the instance of what’s sure to become “the famous” elevator scene, enlightens us of character while building a frightening mythos).

Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn won best director at Cannes for his highly stylized direction. His realization of the skillful script enhances the story in every possible way from visual symbolism to virtuoso action sequences. He also pulls tremendous and fearless performances out of his cast: a silent powerhouse performance from Ryan Gosling; an irrefutable tenderness from Carey Mulligan; and a surprisingly chilling performance from Albert Brooks as a ruthless and practical mobster.

Packaged in a hip retro-eighties leitmotif (complete with synthesized soundtrack), Drive is a noir-tinged art house film that will surprise.

USA. 100 minutes. Rated R.

Click here to read Blu-ray review.

Cast

Set in a fantasy world where dreams are a tangible landscape, this science fiction thriller follows Cobb, an extractor of information from the dreamworld, who is hired for a sort of corporate infiltration mission. He assembles a team of the most skilled and experienced psychological thieves and con artists to pull off one of the most ambitious and dangerous missions ever attempted by penetrating a dream within a dream within a dream within a dream. Not only does the operation at the mercy of time, but also a cerebral and emotional strain as the targets’ subconscious begins to fight back.

There are not many directors who can construct such towering blockbusters without sacrificing some sort of intelligence. There are even fewer directors who can pull it off while maintaining an auteurist integrity. But more than any other director of the decade, Christopher Nolan has proven capable of delivering huge entertainment with penetrating subversive themes on the biggest scale movies have to offer. Inception is sure to be a cornerstone in Nolan’s legacy. Here he blends the dissident commentary that is so common in science fiction films, with the thrilling aspects that a big budget provide with a story that is as unique as anything Hollywood has ever churned out.

Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception (2010)

The film is well cast, though for the most part this isn’t necessarily an ‘actors’ film. DiCaprio has the most demanding role, and he handles it with wonderful intensity in a performance that nicely bookends his stint in Shutter Island. Marion Cotillard also creates an enigmatic and emotional portrayal of a woman who exists purely in memories. The rest of the actors definitely bring something invaluable to their roles, even if it is only physically demanding.

Sticking with the paradigm of Nolan’s previous characters, Cobb is an emotionally tortured man suffering from the tragic loss of a loved one. Nolan navigates his characters, and audience, through a maze of the mind body and soul in what is certainly one of the most remarkable blockbusters ever made.

USA. 148 minutes. Rated PG-13.