Drive

Viewers will find lots of grotesque violence in this purported “action film,” but most of the time an artsy, self-conscious, existentialist stillness—or tedium—reigns, although Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn was lauded at Cannes for his hyper-stylish, neo-noir direction. Set in Los Angeles, the plot pivots around a nameless, emotionless wheelman (Ryan Gosling) who ostensibly works as a movie stunt driver but is often hired by mobsters to drive their getaway cars. In fact, he's so adept behind the wheel that his garage-mechanic boss, Shannon (Bryan Cranston), wants to bankroll him to race stock cars. After helping out sweet-faced neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) at a nearby supermarket, the driver winds up becoming involved with her, along with her wide-eyed young son, Benicio (Kaden Leos), and her ex-con husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac). Also thrown into the mix is a pawn-shop heist that goes terribly wrong, which infuriates gangsters played by Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman. Adapted from James Sallis's titular novel, Drive barely delineates the cars-and-crime storyline, let alone defines individual characters and their psychological motivations. Still, despite the film's drawbacks, Gosling shines as a moody, monosyllabic loner, evoking memories of Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood, and Lee Marvin. But his performance isn't enough to keep Drive from ultimately stalling out. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Drive Without a Driver” interview with director Nicolas Winding Refn (26 min.), the production featurettes “Under the Hood” (12 min.), “I Drive: The Drive” (6 min.), “Driver and Irene” (6 min.), and “Cut to the Chase” on stunts (5 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a film likely to split viewers.] (S. Granger)