Drive (2011)

Like it's enigmatic central character Drive is a cool, calculating proposition, carefully measured and capable of both unexpected sweetness, and shocking violence. Nicholas Windig Refn's first Hollywood film is stylistically bold, and signifies him as one of the most exciting talents in an industry where truly individual voices are sometimes hard to find.
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Ryan Gosling stars as the nameless Driver of the title, a part time movie stunt driver and mechanic, who moonlights as a getaway driver, offering his services for a five minute window, to aspiring criminals. Mysterious and tight lipped he marks an immediately iconic character, Gosling (one of the best actors currently working) finding untapped layers of cool and stillness as he begins to bond with his attractive neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son, who are struggling with Irene's husband being in jail. Through largely wordless scenes the pair form a real attachment, Mulligan brings real depth to a character who could be blank on the page, finding depths of loneliness and vulnerability that her eyes betray. She shares real chemistry with Gosling, while some might bemoan the films deliberate pace and restrained nature I found it affecting and distinctive. This is rarely a movie that does what you expect and as such feels fresh throughout. 
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Things take a turn for the worse when Irene's husband returns from jail and enlists Gosling's help in a pawn shop robbery to help protect his family. Needless to say things go wrong and from here the film takes a much darker and more violent turn as the ripples of these actions reverberate throughout the world and touch on the shady world of the local mob, fronted by Albert Brooks (in a memorably chilling performance) and Ron Pearlman. Both of which have links to the Driver in the form of fronting his boss (the always excellent Bryan Cranston) in his latest business venture. Whilst the plot may seem complex it is actually fairly simple, but each of the characters is so well crafted, even with the broad strokes that the film mainly deals in, that it becomes absorbing throughout.
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What really makes Drive stand out though is the atmosphere and construction, Refn's strong hand is visible throughout, from the moody Michael Man-esque glimpses of LA at night, to his framing and use of slo-mo and silence. As important a factor as anything is the films incredible soundtrack. fusing a mix of retro-electronica and ambient score this is a film completely in tune with it's soundscape, using it to heighten mood and enhance everything on screen. In many ways Drive feels like a film of a different era, a stylistic exercise that also works as a rewarding and thrilling film experience. This is largely thanks to the performances, Gosling and Mulligan really makes you care for their characters in a short space of time and it lends the back half of the film an emotional weight it might not have otherwise earned.
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Like a knife through butter Drive cuts through so much homogenised, generic Hollywood cinema and proudly does things differently. It is a wonderful things to behold, and one of my favourite films of the year.