Drive

DRIVE (2011) - Oct. 1, 2011
A really stylish and kind of awesome film about a Hollywood stunt-driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for robberies.  Featuring a really bad-ass central performance from Ryan Gosling, whose driver is a man for whom actions speak louder than words.  There's also a really impressive, scene-stealing performance from Albert Brooks as the film's main villian.  Really, there's just so much to love here.  Nicolas Winding Refn's assured direction is pitch-perfect, with nary a wasted shot.  Likewise, Newton Thomas Sigel's cinematography is pretty stunning; the night scenes in particular look very, very good.  Then there's Cliff Martinez's '80s-infused score (that's two amazing scores from the man in less than a month).  The action is thrilling (the low-key getaway scene that opens the film is a highlight; the more traditional car chase that comes later in the film is just as good), and the stuff in between is equally effective.  Definitely a strong contender for the best movie of the year.  ****