There aren’t many films like Drive.
Sure, you don’t have to look far to find ’80s-inspired throwbacks with enough neon lighting and synth soundtracks to delight any cinephile nostalgic for an era they never experienced, but Drive’s delicate mix of art house sensibilities pushed through the filter of a commercial blockbuster, making it that rare concoction that appealed to both highbrow critics and general audiences.
One minute Nicolas Winding Refn was walking away from Cannes Film Festival with the Best Director award in his pocket, and the next he was watching his latest film gross 81 million at the global box office — a whopping figure for something that is still firmly entrenched on the art house side of the debate.
Suddenly he was thrust into the Hollywood spotlight with offers to direct tentpole films like Wonder Woman and Spectre, but Refn was never one to take the obvious approach.
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