When my screening of Drive got out, a few members of the press were visibly and vocally shaken. Maybe they weren’t familiar with Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn‘s blood-soaked filmography (Pusher Trilogy, Bronson, Bleeder) and haven’t seen Ryan Gosling in The Believer. I think a lot of people are going to feel the same way when they step out of Drive. As simple as the plot is, it’s by no means a straightforward thriller and this isn’t Crazy Stupid Love Gosling – hell, this isn’t even Blue Valentine Gosling. Refn has created an aesthetically brilliant, mean little masterpiece that would feel just as home in the arthouse as it would the multi-plex.

Dig: Ryan Gosling (who’s listed only as “Driver” in the credits) is a Hollywood stunt driver and mechanic who moonlights as a getaway driver. The only person he keeps close is Shannon (Bryan Cranston), his boss at the auto shop and agent for extracurricular criminal activities. Carey Mulligan plays Irene, the damsel next door that Gosling falls for. When Irene’s husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac), is released from prison, his old debts follow him – endangering Irene and her son. Gosling agrees to drive for Standard on a robbery that will pay the debt and get Irene out of danger for good.

Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman play lead figures in the L.A. underworld. While it’s fun to see Brooks play scuzzy, Perlman comes off as a cartoon character. Christina Hendricks plays Blanche, a small but crucial role. This incredible ensemble is all rolled together like Yahtzee and Refn lets them all collide as the bloody and hypnotizing events of Drive play out.

This role skyrockets Gosling into the ranks of Hollywood’s classic, quiet badasses. Those people that are more icons than actual characters. Steve McQueen’s Bullitt, Eastwood’s the Man With No Name, Gibson’s Max Rockatansky…all of these men had an economy to the way they moved and talked. They all had a cool, coiled violence below the surface that could explode at any moment and take your head off. As Driver, Gosling is a contemporary knight in shining armor with a little bit of psychopath in him. We never learn about Gosling’s past and he speaks maybe 30 lines in the whole film. He’s a haunted character but where the ghosts came from is never revealed. It’s a surreal performance to watch.

The film is beautifully shot (in widescreen – Refn’s favorite!) by cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel. There’s a moody seductiveness pervading the entire film, especially in L.A. at night. There’s only two real car chases and they’re graciously not shot in that disorientating, shaky cam bullshit manner that’s pervading action films nowadays. You can actually tell what the hell is going on! What a concept! The script by Hossein Amini (from the novel by James Sallis) is sleek and stripped down to pure function. I’m not sure how much (if any) of Drive was cut, but every single moment in the film is just right.

Seasoned composer Cliff Martinez handles the original music – a subtle score used to great effect. The rest of the songs are contemporary electro-pop tracks that fit perfectly to Gosling’s late night drives. They nicely contrast all the machismo. The closing song, “A Real Hero” by College, is a terrific send-off for Refn’s L.A.

I don’t use the word “perfect” to describe many movies. Karate Kid and Amadeus might be the only two, and now Drive as well. It’s not a grand drama or sweeping epic. But it is a perfect little, thrilling character piece that’s as much arthouse as it is Hollywood. I felt high when I stepped out of the theater. I wanted to immediately watch it again. There are still four months left in 2011 and plenty of films yet to be released, but I don’t see anything on the horizon that could possibly top Drive. Best movie of the year. Game over.

Refn has a bunch of projects in his pocket, including a couple more with Gosling and a remake of Logan’s Run. Whatever he releases though, I’ll be there, foaming at the mouth.

This review was originally published on September 14th, 2011

Drive hits theaters today, Friday, September 16th.

- Oh Mars