4 stars out of 5 -- "DRIVE dynamically merges a traffic film noir plot with a cool retro look, evoking '60s classics like POINT BLANK and BULLITT."
Box Office

3.5 stars out of 4 -- "Here is a move with respect for writing, acting and craft. It has respect for knowledgeable moviegoers."
Chicago Sun-Times

"[G]osling and this powerful film, which is ultimately about a moment of grace, deserve each other. He's the medium's most graceful minimalist."
Wall Street Journal

"The look is artfully stylized, influenced by classic film noir; the mood is dark; the performances nuanced; and the story unnervingly exciting."
USA Today

4 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t is Gosling, along with Refn's meticulous, dynamic direction, that is the star of the show..."
Total Film

4 stars out of 4 -- "Gosling is dynamite....Pure cinema, a grenade of image and sound ready to blow."
Rolling Stone

"DRIVE revels in sensory detail; it's a visually and aurally edgy Euro-influenced American genre movie about the coolness of noir-influenced American genre movies about the coolness of driving..." -- Grade: B+
Entertainment Weekly

"[W]ith well-staged, attention-grabbing chase sequences, a cool-for-cats central performance from Ryan Gosling...atmospheric cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel, and a tension-enhancing use of music and sound design..."
Sight and Sound

4 stars out of 5 -- "DRIVE is a welcome throwback to a sub-genre of stripped-down, existential action movies familiar from the late '70s and early '80s..."
Uncut