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DRIVE (2011)Movie Reviews
Action drama about a Los Angeles wheelman for hire who stunt drives for movie productions by day and steers getaway vehicles for armed heists by night. Cast:Ryan Gosling, Albert Brooks, Carey Mulligan, Bryan CranstonDirector:Nicolas Winding RefnRelease Date:September 16, 2011DVD Release:January 31, 2012From:FilmDistrictRating:RLength:1 hr 40 min
Drive (2011) played to excellent reviews. • Tom Long wrote in the Detroit News, "It's intense, it's stylish, it's really well-acted and it's incredibly violent." • And Joe Morgenstern wrote in the Wall Street Journal, "...a film that grabs your gaze and won't let go except for moments when you can't help but look away.... powerful..." More Reviews Below...
Alynda Wheat, People: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Stylish and intense, with riveting performances... a great piece of Los Angeles noir about an icily controlled stunt/getaway driver... Gosling and Mulligan are magnetic..."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 126 words, 09/15/11
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...feels like an homage to early Michael Mann.... oozes sleek '80s style... offers some serious character actors in big, showy supporting performances..."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 646 words, 09/15/11
Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "Prepare for extended driving sequences set to moody music, as well as long, dramatic pauses punctuated only by the sound of gunshots. A joyride it isn't."(See all of Mara Reinstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 76 words, 09/15/11
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a visually and aurally edgy Euro-influenced American genre movie about the coolness of noir-influenced American genre movies about the coolness of driving..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 694 words, 09/16/11
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a brilliant piece of nasty business that races on a B-movie track until it switches to the dizzying fuel of undiluted creativity. Damn, it's good."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 615 words, 09/02/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The look is artfully stylized, influenced by classic film noir; the mood is dark; the performances nuanced; and the story unnervingly exciting.... Thoroughly immersing..."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 407 words, 09/16/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...much more real than the usual action-crime-chase concoctions we've grown tired of. Here is a movie with respect for writing, acting and craft."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 761 words, 09/16/11
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...about two-thirds' worth of a pretty good to quite good action picture and one-third worth of affected, highfalutin, practically insufferably portentous, pretentious..."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 920 words, 09/13/11
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...shows that movies can generate a testosterone-and-adrenaline cocktail without requiring viewers to undergo a frontal lobotomy to appreciate the result."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 775 words, 09/13/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (14 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...the coolest movie around and therefore the latest proof that cool is never cool enough.... a colorful supporting cast is what saves 'Drive' from arch tedium..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 974 words, 09/16/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...the quiet, deathly still moments are the ones that count... this action-drama understands the elegant art of the car chase."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 464 words, 09/16/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...a neon-lit crime story made with lots of visual style. It's a film in love with both traditional noir mythology and ultra-modern violence, a combination that is not ideal."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 729 words, 09/16/11
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...not a bad movie by a long shot -- but it's the kind of thriller that's likelier to excite critics than the moviegoing public."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 429 words, 09/16/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...begins extremely well and ends in a muddle of ultraviolence, hypocrisy and stylistic preening.... Refn has a compositional eye and considerable craft..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 643 words, 09/16/11
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: WEAK "...every bit as dumb as 'Conan the Barbarian'... takes Hollywood action movies to the next slick, amoral, and unbelievably vicious level."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 647 words, 09/12/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...much more real than the usual action-crime-chase concoctions we've grown tired of. Here is a movie with respect for writing, acting and craft."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 761 words, 09/16/11
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...a sleek, tense piece of work... a lovingly assembled, streamlined pastiche of '80s movies and TV.... It's a machine, but it works."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 784 words, 09/14/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...like a hybrid of 'Bullitt' and 'Taxi Driver,' with Gosling stepping up his game... doesn't reinvent the wheel of the automobile action movie but it certainly revs the engine."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 716 words, 09/16/11
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Low-key, sleek and sophisticated... provides the visceral pleasures of pulp without sacrificing art. It's cool and smart. Some critics might even call it European."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 725 words, 09/16/11
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...stylish, suspenseful, and laced with sentimentality.... Nordic Noir for those who can stomach the violence. It's not art, but arty mainstream."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 423 words, 09/16/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a lean, pulsating thriller... unnerves us with its idling quiet, and then pins our ears back when they stomp the accelerator."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 569 words, 09/16/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Drama requires emotions and cool requires their suppression. The tautly paced, peerlessly stylish crime drama 'Drive' has it both ways.... miraculous."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 597 words, 09/16/11
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The movie has you from its nearly wordless opening sequence, which, just through crisp staging and superb editing, tells us everything we need to know..."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,158 words, 09/16/11
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: VERY GOOD(cg) "...crackling... one part hard-boiled noir, one part existential drama.... for stone-cold, retro action fans who are tired of all these over-edited, underachieving thrillers..."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 481 words, 09/16/11
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "Mainstream audiences will probably be confounded by 'Drive,' while lovers of gritty filmmaking will defend every exaggerated shotgun wound as art."(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 522 words, 09/16/11
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a fine and stylish, if ultraviolent, ride, filled with unexpectedly askew camera angles, nighttime lighting worthy of Raymond Chandler, and nuanced performances."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 09/16/11
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...an exercise in bleeding the world of modern touches, exposing a skeletal Los Angeles that has been feeding the stream of filmed crime drama for nearly a century."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 655 words, 09/16/11
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "The abrupt shifts between neo-noir fatalism and white-knight romanticism could give an unsuspecting viewer whiplash, but Refn keeps his hands on the wheel."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 334 words, 09/16/11
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...barrels into a space that modern action movies have long abandoned.... a flawed movie that frays nerves, a movie with true grit matching its gore."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 534 words, 09/15/11
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...a sleek, tense piece of work... a lovingly assembled, streamlined pastiche of '80s movies and TV.... It's a machine, but it works."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 784 words, 09/14/11
Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...see 'Drive' on big screens as many times as you can and only in the best theaters... it's a film that demands to be on a big screen with the greatest speakers imaginable."(See all of Eric Eisenberg's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 832 words, 06/18/11
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...offers more quiet moments than you'd expect... Nicolas Winding Refn has respect for stasis, for discoveries beyond the frame, for close-ups revealing inchoate emotions."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 171 words, 09/15/11
Scott Tobias, AV Club: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...little more than an exercise in style, but it's dazzling and mythic, a testament to the fundamental appeal of fast cars, dangerous men, and tension that squeezes..."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 409 words, 09/15/11
Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...not only met my hopes; it charged way over the speed limit.... doesn't skimp on human interest at the expense of its considerable (and considerably violent) thrills."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 941 words, 05/20/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the film is thrilling, in its own unique way, by reminding us how tiresome genre rules can be unless they are bent to the point of breaking."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 702 words, 09/19/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (7 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...highly stylized, often beautiful and graphically violent... a film that grabs your gaze and won't let go except for moments when you can't help but look away.... powerful..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 728 words, 09/16/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...the coolest movie around and therefore the latest proof that cool is never cool enough.... a colorful supporting cast is what saves 'Drive' from arch tedium..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 974 words, 09/16/11
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: MODERATE "...having delighted in the doominess of 'Drive,' as its journey began, I ended much less joyful than repelled... The horror lingers and seeps; the feelings are sponged away."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,585 words, 09/19/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...a neon-lit crime story made with lots of visual style. It's a film in love with both traditional noir mythology and ultra-modern violence, a combination that is not ideal."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 729 words, 09/16/11
Dana Stevens, Slate: OUTSTANDING "...enters the viewer like a sharp unseen blade. The rate at which this compact, masterful thriller ramps up in intensity is quick but stealthy."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 788 words, 09/15/11
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...a sleek, retro-styled B-movie that benefits immensely from the aloof, virtually nihilistic edge Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn ('Bronson') brings to the party."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 995 words, 05/19/11
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "Gosling here makes a bid to enter the iconic ranks of tough, self-possessed American screen actors -- Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood, Lee Marvin..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 988 words, 05/20/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...a neon-lit crime story made with lots of visual style. It's a film in love with both traditional noir mythology and ultra-modern violence, a combination that is not ideal."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 729 words, 09/16/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...elaborately detailed mise-en-scene, precision of style, and high-level technical execution of some thrilling chases and action set-pieces."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 937 words, 05/21/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...the coolest movie around and therefore the latest proof that cool is never cool enough.... a colorful supporting cast is what saves 'Drive' from arch tedium..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 974 words, 09/16/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...highly stylized, often beautiful and graphically violent... a film that grabs your gaze and won't let go except for moments when you can't help but look away.... powerful..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 728 words, 09/16/11
16.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Drive (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 16.0 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Drive (2011) (51 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Drive (2011)'s reviews cover 99.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 32,918 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 646 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 4 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Drive (2011)'s reviews on average broke 4 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Drive (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Drive (2011) (51 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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