Another boon from Comic Con and from Nicolas Winding Refn, the director of Bronson (with Tom Hardy) and Valhalla Rising (with Mads Mikkelsen), comes a red band trailer for Drive.   Written by Hossein Amini, based on the novel by James Sallis and starring Ryan Gosling, the film follows a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver-for-hire (or wheelman-his character is known only as “Driver”) and gets mixed up with some really nefarious types.  After a heist goes particularly wrong, he discovers that a contract has been put out on him and then thingsreally get interesting.

I’ve slowly but surely warmed to Ryan Gosling lately. Last year’s Blue Valentine had a lot to do with it. I’d been aware of him certainly, but hadn’t seen a lot of his work. He was brilliant as the hapless, aimless Dean, clinging to the shreds of his marriage because that’s all he has. It also has to do with the dry wit and intelligence that comes through in interviews. In any case, Gosling, combined with my affinity for the director’s work has me seriously looking forward to Drive.

It reminds me a lot of the early work of Michael Mann, particularly Thief, with it’s minimalist, 70′s vibe and To Live and Die in LA.  Drive was shown to great acclaim at Cannes this past May and Refn took home the award for Best Director. This would appear to be his most accessible film to date, especially in terms of subject and certainly cast.  Drive also stars Carey Mulligan, Christina Hendricks, Albert Brooks, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, and Oscar Isaac, and opens on September 16 in the US and Canada and a week later on 23 September in the UK.