Drive

Unlike some other book-to-screen adaptations I've covered, Drive, originally by James Sallis, kept its name in transition. What else should we talk about?

Well, Ryan Gosling is the hero, known only by his profession ("The Driver"). By day, he's a stunt driver for the movies; by night, he's a getaway driver for common thugs. Even though he associates with them, he's not really a crook at heart.

His friend and boss Shannon (Bryan Cranston) gets him acquainted with two crime bosses named Bernie (Albert Brooks) and Nino (Ron Perlman). He also gets acquainted with Irene (Carey Mulligan), whose husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) is newly paroled. Standard owes money to some really bad guys and he surely needs a driver's help to get out of trouble.

Sure, Driver, get a friend out of trouble will you? That'll just get you into trouble.

As the Driver, Ryan Gosling's performance keeps the film going. He maybe an aloof professional, but he still has decency in him. That's what makes him appealing, even when the film enrolls in The Art of Creative Dismemberments 101 halfway through.

Of the crew assembled by director Nicolas Winding Refn, the sound designers stand out. It's because of them that the film's action scenes sound just right. One in particular relies on no sound as its set-up; the payoff is perfectly brutal.

It also helps that editor Matthew Newman and screenwriter Hossein Amini have also done well here. What they've done is create a story that wisely positions its violence rather than swim in blood. As I've probably said before, this is how to make an action film.

But still, this isn't for the faint of heart. For those who prefer ultraviolence, this is the best use of it out in theaters so far.