"Drive"

First, let me say that I didn't not like this movie, but I can say I didn't like aspects of it.  Drive stars Ryan Gosling (who we all know I love), Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, and Ron Pearlman.  Great cast right?  And they all do a really great job. 

It's based on a book by James Sallis.  I haven't read it, but I'm interested in doing so because I really liked the main character.  He may not do the best of things, but he definitely does them for the best of reasons.  He's a terrific anti-hero.

I loved the romance aspect of the movie - that meeting the right gal changed this man's life from being rote (albeit exciting rote) to having some real meaning. 

The action scenes / violent scenes were fast / bloody respectively.

So, why didn't I love this movie?  It a nutshell, it was slow.  When it wasn't the above mentioned action / violence scenes, it moved at a snail's pace.  I mean really s...l....o....w!    My immediate thought as I left the theater was this must be the director's fault.  I don't know.  The overall vision is his, right?  The pacing, the look, the editing are all his final say, right?  I could be wrong - it's been known to happen.  But when you have all these scenes where nothing is going on more than watching somebody do nothing or the camera zooms in on a hand clenching for like a minute (perhaps exaggerated), I have to think, huh?

I looked at the director's credits and didn't recognize anything, but then he was apparently chosen by Ryan Gosling to direct.  I know Gosling has a history of doing some really bizarre movies, but I generally love them anyway.  This one - not.  But not because of the actors, acting, or story which were all good. 

As a side note, apparently the critics loved it.  It was "unique and to be celebrated".  Different strokes, huh?