Ryan Gosling stars as a Hollywood stunt driver for movies by day and moonlights as a wheelman for criminals by night. Though a loner by nature, “Driver” can’t help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), a young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband. After a heist goes wrong, Driver finds himself driving defense for the girl he loves, tailgated by a syndicate of deadly serious criminals (Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman). Soon he realizes the gangsters are after more than the bag of cash and is forced to shift gears and go on the offense.

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Video Quality

The new 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Drive offers a pleasant uptick in quality over the accompanying Blu-Ray that was very fetching when it was first released in 2012. The film arrives with a 2160p Dolby Vision/HDR master approved by director Nicolas Winding Refn. The original Blu-Ray release looked great, but the new 4K UHD easily allows the film to look the best it ever has on home entertainment. The film was shot digitally by Newton Thomas Sigel and finished to a 2K Digital Intermediate. This release may be an upscale, but that should not deter you from the beauty of this transfer. Sony and other labels have proven time and time again that a proper 4K UHD upscale can trounce their Blu-Ray counterparts in a number of ways. This new release preserves the stylized aesthetic of the feature that reveals a sleazy underworld of vital texture and detail.

Refn conjures an organic appearance within the digital realm complete with bold lighting choices that truly make the film. The implementation of Dolby Vision aids the contrast of the film with intensely deep black levels that no longer succumb to the banding found on the old Blu-Ray during the nighttime driving scenes. Scenes reveal so much shadow detail that cannot be achieved with a lesser format. Highlights offer more impressive stability without veering into blooming. The UHD revels in numerous splashes of bold colors in the clothing and lighting, especially. Skin tones look natural and the clarity of the transfer gives you a fabulous amount of facial detail. You can easily distinguish specific details within the gory makeup, outfits, and production design that were not as defined previously. The various interiors are also given more depth which is rich for exploration. The new disc does not make the old release obsolete, but it refines it to its most enjoyable state.

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray gets an audio upgrade in the form of a fantastic Dolby Atmos track that gives the film an even more deeply immersive soundscape. For purists, the new disc also offers up the original soundtrack in lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio. Both of these tracks are knockouts in their own ways, but we are glad Sony continues to give fans a choice. Those who stick with the original track may not get the latest in audio technology but you get an authentic experience that is virtually perfect. The original DTS-HD 5.1 track is not quite as flashy as the Atmos track, but it handles the storyline capably.

With the Atmos track, you are in for a treat from moment one as the soundtrack alone makes a case for why the expansion was necessary. The music arguably makes the movie, and the additional channels allow it to perfectly saturate the room and ground you in the world of the story. Dialogue is not a hallmark of our main character, but the rest of the ensemble has exchanges that are crisp and clear without ever getting drowned out by the music or sound effects.

The front channels take on the majority of the dialogue and other discrete sounds, but activity extends to the surrounds, rears, and overhead speakers to make the world feel more all-encompassing. The sounds up above flesh out the world without feeling artificial or distracting. The low end effects from the subwoofer give moments like shotgun blasts and thunderous engines extra power to pack a punch. Atmospheric sound effects are effortlessly rendered within the mix so that the directionality is always accurate. Sony has knocked it out of the park. Optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Sony has provided Drive with a sleek new SteelBook featuring artwork that is striking in person. The front artwork is a neon-inflected rendering of The Driver among the Los Angeles skyline with a smaller version of him in the scorpion jacket walking towards his car, and the rear features The Driver is his scorpion jacket and the car driving in the LA river. The interior sports a still photo of The Driver leaning against his car. Video of the SteelBook can be found at the top of this review.

4K UHD Blu-Ray

Back In The Driver’s Seat: A new 13-minute retrospective featuring interviews with writer Hossein Amini, editor Mat Newman, composer Cliff Martinez, and actors Christina Hendricks and Ron Perlman. There are some great anecdotes about how the performers secured their roles, the iconic nature of the soundtrack, the aesthetic of the film, and more that make for a good watch.

Trailer: The two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided.

Blu-Ray

The Making of American Hustle: A 17-minute piece in which the cast and creative team discuss the development and themes of the narrative, the collaboration between the creative team and the performers, the costumes and production design, and more. There is a lot of good behind-the-scenes footage.

I Drive: A nearly six-minute featurette that takes a look at the overall story, the characters, the script, the direction of Nicolas Winding Refn, and more.

Under The Hood: A 12-minute piece that takes a closer look at the ensemble, the qualities of the characters, how they subvert conventions, and more.

Driver and Irene: A six-minute look at the core relationship that drives the movie forward.

Cut To The Chase: A five-minute exploration of the stunt work and getaway scenes that provide some of the most thrilling moments.

Drive Without A Driver – Entretien Aven Nicolas Winding Refn: A 26-minute documentary in which the filmmaker shares his thoughts and experiences on the film, collaborating with Ryan Gosling, the casting decisions, and much more. Considering most of the other featurettes do not have his input, this is a welcome addition.

Previews

Final Thoughts

Drive is such a cool movie that it remains cool even after being co-opted by certain audiences who are decidedly not cool. This is far from the first movie that put Ryan Gosling in the spotlight, but it feels like one of the movies that secured his place as a modern movie star. He is terrific while speaking very few words, and his chemistry with the amazing Carey Mulligan is palpable while being built mostly on glances and proximity. The film has thrilling action sequences that occasionally sacrifice speed for cunning, yet it opens up when it makes sense for the story. There is such a firm control over this film that you cannot help but proclaim it a modern classic. Everything about this one is working on all cylinders. Sony Pictures has released a lovely new Limited Edition 4K UHD Blu-Ray SteelBook featuring a magnificent A/V presentation and an assortment of new and archival special features. If you only own this one on Blu-Ray or not at all, this package is a no-brainer for anyone looking to add the best version to their collection. Recommended

Drive will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray SteelBook on August 27, 2024.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.