(Watch the Trailer)
2011 action/crime movie directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (Valhalla Rising).
A stunt driver who acts as a driver for heists when he's not working falls in love with his neighbour and finds himself stuck helping her ex-con husband on a theft. It goes wrong and he finds himself sucked in even further in order to help her and her son stay out of harms way.
Once again, Ryan Gosling is the man (All Good Things, Crazy Stupid Love). His character this time around was the silent, mysterious type but you know deep down he has a secret he is trying to run from. As the movie gets to the meat of things and the first scene that his other side comes out was so powerful. The whole time he sat there barely speaking or moving much and then suddenly he is this tank of action and violence. Once this side of him is out there it's like he can't control it and, in a way that is almost frightening, goes from person to person until it's all over. What a character to play, he did the action scenes really well and he did the pleasant to serial killer transition with ease. So many layers to this character and Gosling nailed them all (no surprise).
While you don't really see much of Carey Mulligan ( Never Let Me Go, An Education) I loved that she was in this movie. There is just something about this girl that I find magnetic and when she smiles I smile. I like her and thought she was a great supporting role for Gosling.
At first the movie is slow and there isn't much dialogue. You sit there and wonder why this was an action movie while not really realizing how sucked into the story you have already become until the first scene when everything starts going down and then you are hooked. I found the drive scenes to be thrilling and filled with suspence. The hand to hand combat had some new moves that had me vocally appreciating them when they happened. Some of them were pretty gorey and it was a happy surprise. The action suited the main character which I found interesting. For example, the fact that he never used a gun really appealed to me and completely fit this mysterious character. Awesome merging of the elements there.
Music was interesting and not what I had expected but not in a bad way and the story was over all decent. When the credits rolled I didn't feel like I missed anything or that I was confused, it was done and the story was complete and that was that. The end.
Liked it. Wouldn't say I loved it but I would definitely watch it again. Solid action flick.
4/5 ADSENSE HERE
