Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

Drive 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

"You know the story about the scorpion and the frog?"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown August 21, 2024

Drive was briefly greeted as "divisive", and for all intents and purposes still is. But that's a slap in the face of neo-noir director Nicolas Winding Refn's film on its own terms. Sony is partially to blame, having issued an original theatrical trailer that was more than a bit misleading. General audiences expected a no-holds-barred, gritty action thriller, only to be handed a slowburn, deliberate psychological drama that was less Fast and Furious plus Baby Driver than it was Heat multiplied by Taxi Driver divided by a neon-soaked '80s throwback study in style and substance, fully and wholly NWR. For those pleasantly surprised by the bait and switch advertising -- or those who came to Drive properly informed -- the film proved, and continues to prove to be nothing short of revelatory; a masterpiece of genre cinema that refuses to deliver anything remotely trite or cliche. Drive's protagonist is a quiet enigma. A sociopath perhaps, unmoored from humanity but re-anchored by the presence of a beautiful angel worthy of his devotion. Its story an evocative twist on the genre, far more meaningful and methodical in its movements and musings than any popcorn-rustling blockbuster. Its script a tense, hushed, building boil of modern noir plotting and pacing that offers depth and dimension where others might rely on thrills and chills. It is, in three short words, a 21st century stunner.

There's a hundred-thousand streets in this city. You don't need to know the route. You give me a time and a place, I give you a five minute window. Anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours. No matter what. Anything happens a minute either side of that and you're on your own. Do you understand?

A gifted getaway artist (Ryan Gosling) works as both a mechanic and a Hollywood stunt driver by day, but moonlights as a hired criminal wheelman who follows strict rules and promises to evade any trouble with the law. He leads a quiet, unassuming life. He keeps largely to himself, only interacting with his trusted boss, Shannon (Bryan Cranston), who enters into deal with a mobster, Bernie (Albert Brooks), to purchase a stock car for The Driver to race. The Driver breaks from his routine when he offers to help a stranded motorist, whom he recognizes as a nearby neighbor from his apartment building. Soon, he finds himself in a friendly relationship with her. She's Irene (Carey Mulligan), a mother caring for her son Benicio (Kaden Leos) while her husband serves his time in prison. Just as their relationship seems to be taking a tun for the romantic, her husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) is released from prison. It turns out that Standard is in quite a bit of trouble with the mob. The Driver chooses to intervene on Standard's behalf for the sake of the woman and child he's grown to love. What follows is unimaginable violence through which The Driver must maneuver and survive if he's to ensure the safety of both Irene and Benicio.

Click here to read Martin Liebman's full 2012 review of Driver, which he calls "the embodiment of cinema." Adding that it's "reliant on confident style rather than the typical visual and aural distractions so easily constructed within the medium that often only mask shortcomings rather than enhance the whole." He writes, " Drive's approach greatly amplifies cinematic basics, and morphs what likely would had been in lesser hands a throwaway nothing of a movie into one of the most captivating experiences of the past few years."

Drive 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sigh. Here we go again. Peruse the forum thread for Sony's 4K release of Drive and you'll encounter quite a bit of shoulder-shrugging. Sony's transfer, it turns out, has been dropped on a BD-66 disc with a slightly lower bitrate encode than its previously released Second Sight UK counterpart, which features a BD-100 disc. There's also the small matter of the fact that the transfer is sourced from a digital 2K master, making this (and the SS transfer) upscales rather than natively sourced transfers. Now let's take a moment and take a breath. Feels good, doesn't it? Here's the bottom line. I have three copies of Drive now -- the standard 2012 BD, the Second Sight 4K release and now the Sony 4K SteelBook edition -- and for the life of me, I can't spot the difference between the Sony and SS 4K transfers in motion. Comparing screencaps would, I'm sure, result in a dozen or so pixel-to-pixel differences (whether the result of disc size or no) but I'd challenge anyone to find anything of serious consequence that can be spotted by the naked eye while the film is, you know, playing. I have no intention to be dismissive; just to reorient hyperbole. Sony's 2160p presentation is terrific. Period. More importantly, as one forum member so perfectly put it, "there are several far more important details that get upgraded with the 4K UltraHD Blu-ray." Granted, if you already own the extras-packed Second Sight 4K, there's little advantage here other than the addition of a SteelBook case. But for everyone else in the US, welcome to the definitive version of Driver you'll find on the US market.

Color depth and richness, contrast leveling and vibrancy, and filmic qualities of the presentation are all improved when compared to the standard BD. Moreover, HDR delivers some truly standout moments, particularly when amber, teal and crimson hues splash across the screen. It's difficult to describe the difference in oomph the HDR/Dolby Vision picture delivers, but if you're a part of the uninitiated, seeing is believing. Detail is also excellent, without any negative sign that would suggest an upscale is being viewed. Again, Drive has no source that's more exacting than its digital 2K intermediate, meaning this (and the SS release) represents, without exception, the best Drive could ever look. Edge definition is crisp and clean, fine textures are resolved beautifully, shadow delineation is spot on, and I didn't notice anything in the way of crush, blocking, banding or other such nonsense. The encode is proficient and precise, and the resulting image is nothing short of powerful. Forget the tech specs. Trust your eyes. Sony's 4K release of Drive is, like the movie, a stunner.

Drive 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sony's Dolby Atmos experience is terrific as well, without all of the asterisks associated with its production and presentation. Dialogue is intelligible and convincingly grounded in the mix, which is just the foundation of a soundscape that prides itself on realism and nuance within its subdued atmosphere. Directional effects aren't always as obvious in their prowess as they truly are, as the film all but celebrates silence and hushed sonics, but when The Driver pushes the accelerator, the engine roars and the score surges, the soundfield comes alive and earns its money. Pans are perfectly smooth, virtually invisible, and the track's immersive qualities show off their wares. LFE output is restrained on the whole too, but again, when the movie opens up, so too does the subwoofer, lacing tense moments with weight, presence and cinematic heft. Yes, the standard Blu-ray lossless track was already a winner, but the Atmos upgrade is well worth the price of admission.

Drive 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Pound for pound, extra for extra, the UK Second Sight 4K release of Drive offers more supplemental kick thanks to a director's commentary and other special features. The Sony 4K is more anemic but still offers a solid supplemental package, in addition to a newly produced featurette.

• NEW: Back in the Driver's Seat (HD) – A new retrospective featurette that includes interviews with writer Hossein Amini as well as editor Mat Newman, composer Cliff Martinez, and actors Christina Hendricks and Ron Perlman.

• All Previous US Blu-ray Extras - Sony's 4K release also delivers all of the previous Blu-ray's content, albeit with the included standard BD copy of the film: "I Drive: The Driver", "Under the Hood: Story", "Driver and Irene: The Relationship", and "Cut to the Chase: Stunts" featurettes, plus a 26-minute production documentary with Nicolas Winding Refn.

Drive 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Driver remains an exceptional film twelve years after its initial release, and to those who don't already own the Second Sight UK release, arrives with a helluva 4K disc in tow. With a striking video presentation, an immersive Dolby Atmos experience, and a decent complement of extras, Sony's SteelBook is a killer. The Second Sight 4K is still the way to go if you're able, but for those limited to US releases, you won't be disappointed with this one.