You might not know but Ryan Gosling started off with Britney, Christina and Justin in the Mickey Mouse Club. If that tipped him close to the edge of crazy, he's certainly given the forum to do a bit of method acting in Drive, although considering he plays the other end of the scale in this week's other big release, Crazy Stupid Love, we reckon he's just a very very talented chap (did we mention he's handsome too?) - money on him going head to head with Oldman for the Oscar FOR SURE.

The film has reaped in the accolades (and terrible car puns) for a while now - particularly after director Nicolas Refn (Bronson) made the savvy move of releasing the first few minutes in place of a trailer - this isn't to say Drive goes downhill from that point on, but it's certainly one of the film's finest moments and an all round top rated opening sequence in general. 

Helped in large part by the 80s-tinged electro soundtrack, the film noir packs in action while maintaining a slow steady pace more reminiscent of a 60s heist than souped up vehicle of recent time.

As you're probably aware by this point, the film follows the story of Gosling's tooth-pick chewing protagonist (eerily only ever known as 'Driver'), a movie stunt man by day and getaway driver by night. A man of very few words, he's cool, calm and quite possibly completely insane. After a bit of nudging from his manager, Shannon (Breaking Bad's awesome Bryan Cranston), he's soon balls deep in the Los Angeles' criminal underworld, with Ron Perlman and Christina Hendricks, no less, for company, although it's his neighbour - the literal and metaphorical girl next door Irene (Carey Mulligan) who catches his eye, with their resulting friendship providing some of the film's most tender and dark moments (a driving scene on the well-recognised Los Angeles River bed is beautiful).

Along with the aforementioned soundtrack, the landscape plays part of capturing the atmosphere - all dark and neon lit (think Edward Hopper doing the stills for David Lynch), although it's Refn's camera work that brings the authenticity (for instance, the driving scenes were filmed using a 'biscuit rig,  a camera car rig developed for the film Seabiscuit, which allowed a genuine stunt man to steer the car, freeing Gosling to concentrate on acting). And while the Danish director sticks to a 'less is more' formula with blood shed, the resulting reality somehow makes the violence more chilling - or startling at least.

Interestingly, Refn doesn't have a driving license (then again, Tim Burton doesn't have scissors for hands), but the car is just the vehicle for The Driver (see? Impossible to avoid the puns) anyway - and while the chase scenes are spectacular, there are so many more cinematic layers, it's highly likely everyone will find something to love in it - even if it's just that thing what happens to Christina Hendricks (LOL!).

Here's hoping there's substance to the rumours that Gosling and Refn are teaming again for a Remake of Logan's Run.