Drive 8.5/10 - A mysterious stuntman/wheelman/mechanic gets into trouble when he decides to help his neighbor and her family.

I kept expectations down because of the hype, but this one is pretty strong and stands on its own. At points it feels like the style is overshadowing the substance, and while vanity is certainly there, it’s all just below the “too much” mark (for me), and the slack is pulled up soon enough by the developing events. 

Every performance is great, and it makes the movie feel very clean. Once it’s over you realize it’s a fairly simple plot, but the stylization is what makes it seem bigger than it is. The stretches with no dialogue give it some weight and some tension. I would compare this to Ti West’s “House Of the Devil”, in that it doesn’t mind taking time to do what it wants to do and doesn’t need to be overly complex to be effective.

In the end, I suppose your loving or hating it will depend on how you feel about the style.