Running time: 100 minutes
Rating: MA 15+
Release date: currently showing on general release
What hasn’t Ryan Gosling been in this year? He has to be the flavour of the moment, and current talk has him as the actor of this generation, from Lars and the Real Girl, Blue Valentine, Crazy Stupid Love and the soon to be released Ides of March. Besides his smouldering looks and on screen presence he can actually act! Here he plays loner Hollywood stuntman, moonlighting as a car heist driver, who befriends his new neighbour Irene, (Carey Mulligan) and her young son Benicio (Kaden Leos). Make no mistake this is not your typical Hollywood action car chase film, though based in LA, and Gosling is not your archetypical hero.
This is an atmospheric film by Danish director Nicholas Winding Refn (Valhalla Rising) with screenplay by Hossein Amini based on the book by James Sallis. It has little dialogue and really relies on the acting ability, particularly of Gosling, to convey the story and “fuel driven” emotion. Gosling more than delivers with his intensity, piercing gaze, self-possessed and calculating demeanour, so little words are required. There are moments of stillness which are punctuated by acts of extreme violence but all within context of the film. Each scene is well crafted and this is supported by the amazing cinematography and great musical score which adds to the heightened tension. The car chases are sublimeMulligan (An Education)also puts in an understated but stellar performance along with the supporting cast of Albert Brooks (Taxi Driver) and Ron Perlman(Conan the Barbarian).
4 / 5 stars
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