#6 | Drive (2011) ★★★★★
Intense, quiet, brutal, and captivating, Drive wasn’t what I was expecting, but it gripped me tight and still hasn’t let go. Ryan Gosling stars as the Driver, a mysterious loner type who works as a mechanic and stunt driver while also moonlighting as a criminal getaway driver. He lives a solitary life and likes it that way. Enter Irene (Carey Mulligan), his beautiful neighbor with whom he has an instant connection with. What starts off as a simple, beautiful relationship gets complicated fast when Irene and her son get sucked into the criminal world after her husband is released from prison. Driver goes to any means necessary to protect her while risking his life and his humanity. The film is extremely stylish and the cinematography, which is bright and colorful, works with such a darkly themed film. The soundtrack is absolutely divine, every song enhances the story and isn’t just music for music’s sake. All the performances are flawless, Gosling’s in particular. This film definitely deserves the praise it’s been getting.
