In Drive, a Hollywood stunt driver for movies moonlights as a wheelman for criminals and discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong. Though a loner by nature, the stunt driver (Gosling) can't help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene (Mulligan), a young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband. After the heist gone wrong, he finds himself driving defense for the girl he loves, tailgated by a syndicate of deadly serious criminals (Brooks and Perlman). Soon he realizes the gangsters are after more than the bag of cash and is forced to shift gears and go on the defense. Based on the book by James Sallis. (Gary Reber)
Special features include four featurettes: I Drive (HP 05:26), Under The Hood (HD 11:50), Driver And Irene (HD 06:14), and Cut To The Chase (HD 04:35); an interview with Director Nicolas Winding Refn; up-front previews; BD-Live functionality; and an UltraViolet digital copy.
The 1080p AVC picture is terrific, with a perfectly natural appearance throughout. Contrast is well balanced with deep, solid blacks and revealing shadow delineation. Color fidelity is rendered naturally as well, with strong but natural hues and primaries. Reds, in particular, are nicely presented with, at times, boldness. Fleshtones are naturally toned throughout. Resolution is excellent, with fine detail revealed in facial features, hair, clothing, and object texture. Dimensionality is quite good as well. This is a solid visual experience, with a natural look that heightens the realism. (Gary Reber)
The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is superb, with an overall holosonically® intense presence, with energized and directionalized surround envelopment. The music score drives the action with various genres presented, often with an engaging undercurrent of deep bass supported by the .1 LFE channel. Atmospherics and sound effects are well recorded and presented with a sense of spatial integration to the on-screen action, such as during various car chase scenes with helicopter effects overhead. Such effects are powerful and dynamic at times and heighten the intensity. Dialogue sound naturally toned and generally spatially integrated. Overall, this is a very fine soundtrack that is engagingly supportive of the storytelling. (Gary Reber)