Drive – 4K UHD Blu-ray Review
Commissions Earned
Film Title: Drive (2011)
Release Date: 2024
Rating: R
Runtime: 100 minutes
Region Coding: Region Free
Distributor: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Audio Format: Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD MA 5.1 & 2.0
High Dynamic Range: HDR10, Dolby Vision
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Version Reviewed: 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook
Release Date: 8/27/24
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman
Jump to Sections:
Movie | Video | Audio | Bonus | Closing | Screenshots
Full 4K Tech Specs found at the bottom
click to view a 4K Screenshot
The Movie
“Drive” was a 2011 film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, best known for directing the films “Pusher” (1996), “Pusher II” (2004), “Pusher III” (2005), “Bronson” (2008), “Valhalla Rising” (2009), “Only God Forgives” (2013), and “The Neon Demon” (2016).
The screenplay was written by Hossein Amimi based on the 2005 book (of the same title) written by James Sallis. Amini is best known for writing the screenplays to the films “Jude” (1996), “The Wings of Dove” (1997), “Killshot” (2008), “Shanghai” (2010), “The Two Faces of January” (2014), and “Our Kind of Traitor” (2016), as well as co-writing the screenplays to the films “Snow White and the Huntsman” (2012) and “47 Ronin” (2013).
The story centers around a stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) who likes to moonlight as a for-hire criminal getaway driver. Hence, the film’s title: drive, which is fitting considering this guy referred to in the end credits only as “the driver,” loves to drive. The guy helping the driver find his work is an auto shop owner named “Shannon” (Bryan Cranston). It’s Shannon who our protagonist works for with stunt work in the movies and during his day job at his auto shop. The boss, Shannon, has set up a deal with two shady investors via the likes of men named “Bernie Rose” (Albert Brooks) and “Nino ‘Izzy’ Paolozzi” (Ron Perlman) to purchase a stock car for the driver to race on the NASCAR circuit.
Meanwhile, the driver meets his attractive female neighbor “Irene” (Carey Mulligan), and starts spending a lot of time with her and her son. Sadly, that does not last very long. The father, “Standard” (Oscar Isaac), returns from prison and brings real complications between himself and some criminal factions that risk putting his family in harm’s way. Standard is willing to do something foolish and risky to get out of trouble, and he goes as far as to ask the driver for help. He is a getaway driver-for-hire but he also has an emotional attachment to the mother and child. Meanwhile, the driver is unfortunately destined to end up upsetting some wrong people along the way.
Movie Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)
click to view a 4K Screenshot
Video Quality
“Drive” on 4K UHD Blu-ray is presented in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range. The movie has received a 4K scan and HDR presentation approved by the director Nicolas Winding Refn.
This movie was shot on 35mm film and also shot digitally on primarily the Arri Alexa camera, as well as the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Iconix HD-RH1, and Weisscam HS-2 cameras. It has received a 4K digital intermediate master. The film originally released in theatricals received only 2K so this is even an improvement over that presentation, and most especially over the previous Blu-ray which used that master.
One slightly interesting note: this time around the movie is presented in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio, as opposed to the 2.40:1 aspect ratio that the previous (original) 2011 Blu-ray used. It’s not one drastic change visually that many will notice, as it’s only the size the black bars at the top and bottom that are slightly altered.
Next, let me get technical, for a bit, regarding the 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc itself here. This release uses a BD-66 (66 gigabytes) disc, 59.2 gigabytes total, and 53.7 gigabytes itself for the film. Based on my observations via my 4K UHD Blu-ray player, this seems to run anywhere from peaks at around 73.7 Mbps, to roughly around 65.6 Mbps and then dips down as low as 50.9 Mbps. According to info on the PC side, this seems to have an overall video bitrate of 62.2 Mb/s average.
Blu-ray vs. 4K Screenshots Comparison:
SOURCES: 2011 Blu-ray (left), 2024 4K UHD Blu-ray (right)
As you can tell from the Blu-ray vs. 4K screenshots comparison above, [in 4K] this comes with a much brighter and more realistic visual style and a very solid black level thanks to the addition of HDR (high dynamic range). The color timing has ever so slightly changed in some scenes more than others. Overall, flesh tones appear more accurate now in this 4K HDR presentation in comparison to the HD SDR presentation we first received 13 years ago (in 2011).
This features some excellent cinematography from director of photography Newton Thomas Sigel. It’s not running at the highest bitrates and it’s a shame that it only received a BD-66 disc, however it manages to still provide a very nice improvement in comparison to the original Blu-ray (as shown above). This 4K also has a newfound amount of detail now in some scenes thanks to the lighting and changes to the color timing and/or HDR (high dynamic range). The movie has a much more cinematic feel to it now in 4K with HDR and delivers an impressive visual presentation. That said, this earns itself a 4.5 rating for video quality.
Video Quality Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)
click to view a 4K Screenshot
Audio Quality
“Drive” arrives on 4K UHD Blu-ray with a new Dolby Atmos sound mix and the theatrical DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless mix as well as DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo. The Dolby Atmos contains a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 core for those unable to decode that format. As for DTS-HD Master Audio, it has a DTS 5.1 core for those unable to decode that lossless sound found.
This starts with some passing helicopters that make excellent use of the height channel speakers. The song during the opening title sequence takes over and forces things to intensify making great use of all speakers, and delivering some great bass with a level of LFE that should have your subwoofer thumping out the beat. This Dolby Atmos mix isn’t too over-the-top but still is a hell of a lot of fun and proves to be a well-deserved improvement over an already perfect 5.1 surround mix. It makes some brilliant use of the height channels for the original music and songs on the soundtrack.
The sound effects during driving scenes can be somewhat intense at times and help you get into things. However, there are scenes where the sound effects as subdued to pay more focus on dialogue and the film’s unforgettable soundtrack and original music. Dialogue is delivered primarily if not entirely from the center channel speaker and no volume adjustments need to be made. As mentioned, the dialogue-driven scenes can come with a nice balance of the songs on the soundtrack or the film’s original score music behind them in a perfectly balanced manner.
This action-packed drama can go from 0 to 60 very fast in terms of being quiet or downright mellow one minute to pretty intense the next. It doesn’t always depend on if there’s a car involved in the scene or not here as it can make the most out of them all. The soundtrack, of original songs, not just the original musical score, proves to have some highlight moments throughout the film and sounds excellent now in Atmos. The original score also sounds very impressive now, even more so than in a 5.1 surround mix.
For this type of movie, the Dolby Atmos mix is very fitting and serves as a very nice improvement over the 5.1 mix which was already great. That being said, “Drive” on 4K UHD Blu-ray earns a very respectable 4.75 rating for audio quality.
Audio Quality Rating: 4.75 (out of 5)
click to view a 4K Screenshot
Bonus Materials
A Digital Copy of the film in 4K resolution is included (via paper insert) which is compatible with Movies Anywhere. That means you can use it across online video services such as VUDU, AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, and even on smart TVs from television makers such as LG & VIZIO. On AppleTV (iTunes) and Fandango at Home (formerly VUDU) the movie is presented in 4K with Dolby Vision (or HDR10) and Dolby Atmos sound and on Movies Anywhere it’s presented in 4K with HDR10 and 5.1 surround sound. AppleTV includes “iTunes Extras” with all of the legacy extras ported over. Neither Fandango at Home nor Movies Anywhere include any form of extras.
A Blu-ray Disc of the film is included with a 1080p HD video presentation and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless surround sound. This is actually the original 2011 Blu-ray release. Bonus materials included on the Blu-ray Disc are listed below.
- ”I Drive” (5 minutes, 26 seconds – HD) includes interviews with Marc Platt (producer), Ron Perlman (“Nino”), Adam Siegel (producer), Albert Brooks (“Bernie Rose”), Oscar Isaac (“Standard”), and Carey Mulligan (“Irene”).
- ”Under the Hood” (11 minutes, 50 seconds – HD) includes interviews with Hussein Amini (screenwriter), Marc Platt (producer), Bryan Cranston (“Shannon”), Adam Siegel (producer), Carey Mulligan (“Irene”), Oscar Isaac (“Standard”), Christina Hendricks (“Blanche”), Albert Brooks (“Bernie Rose”), and Ron Perlman (“Nino”).
- ”Driver and Irene” (6 minutes, 14 seconds – HD) includes interviews with Adam Siegel (producer), Carey Mulligan (“Irene”), Hussein Amini (screenwriter), and Oscar Isaac (“Standard”).
- ”Cut to the Chase” (4 minutes, 35 seconds – HD) includes interviews with Darrin Prescott (second unit director) and Marc Platt (producer).
- ”Drive with a Driver: Interview with Nicolas Winding Refn” (25 minutes, 41 seconds – HD) includes an interview with the film’s director Nicolas Winding Refn. This interview is a must-watch for any fan of the film.
Bonus materials included on the 4K UHD Blu-ray disc are listed below.
- NEW “Back in the Driver‘s Seat” (13 minutes, 12 seconds – HD) is a fun retrospective. It includes interviews with Christina Hendricks (“Blanche”), Mat Newman (editor), Cliff Martinez (composer), Ron Perlman (“Nino”), and Hussein Amini (screenwriter).
- Theatrical Trailer (2 minutes, 23 seconds – HD) includes Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.
Overall, the bonus materials are over an hour now in length and prove to be very informative and entertaining. The only thing that really feels to be missing would be something like an audio commentary track, but that’s something you will learn some filmmakers are opposed to. Regardless, this is a pretty nice set of supplemental materials for the film and also includes a digital copy.
Bonus Materials Rating: 3.25 (out of 5)
click to view a 4K Screenshot
Closing Thoughts
“Drive” from 2011 introduced us to a stuntman character type that Ryan Gosling took to a new level. It makes for a beautiful combination of action and drama genres and comes with a very unique and an emotionally moving story. As expected, there’s a nice amount of car action found here. The performances here from Gosling and that from the supporting actress Carey Mulligan prove to be downright unforgettable. This movie also features a lot of superb supporting roles from folks like Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, and Ron Perlman.
In terms of video quality, this new 4K digital master comes with a very nice visual presentation of this film. You get both Dolby Vision and HDR10 forms of high dynamic range to choose from as well. My only real complaint would be that they [Sony] used only a BD-66 (66GB disc) instead of a BD-100, where it feels like it would have ran a much higher bitrate and possibly benefited visually just a tad bit more. Still, that said, this looks impressive in 4K and is a nice improvement in comparison to the original Blu-ray release (as shown above).
In terms of audio quality, this gets a very clever and effective new Dolby Atmos mix that makes realistic use of the height channel speakers very early on. The rear channels and front left and right make excellent use of the film’s music, which is a star itself, and the dialogue is driven distinctly through the center channel speaker. The Atmos has a nice amount of LFE here via the subwoofer. Plus, if that’s not your thing, you get both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround and 2.0 Stereo lossless sound mixes to pick from. It’s really one truly impressive audio presentation, which is fitting given the excellent original musical score and soundtrack.
The bonus materials are good fun, with almost an hour of legacy extras on the original Blu-ray, and then another good bit of new content via a new retrospective feature included on the 4K disc.
Overall, “Drive” on 4K UHD Blu-ray offers an impressive 4K video presentation and one exceptional audio presentation in Dolby Atmos. The extras here are really good, with all of the original legacy material and one new retrospective feature on the 4K disc.
In terms of 4K UHD Blu-ray release, this gets:
4.5 (out of 5) for video quality
4.75 (out of 5) for audio quality
3.25 (out of 5) for bonus materials
Overall Verdict:
Recommended Ryan Gosling
Available As:
2024 4K UHD Blu-ray Release
Available at: Amazon | GRUV | Walmart
Commissions Earned
4K UHD Blu-ray Screenshots:
Blu-ray vs. 4K Screenshots Comparison:
SOURCES: 2011 Blu-ray (left), 2024 4K UHD Blu-ray (right)
4K UHD Blu-ray Technical Specifications:
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Exact Runtime(s): 1:40:18
Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos (with a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 core), English DTS-HD Master Audio (with a DTS 5.1 core), DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (with a DTS 2.0 Stereo core)
Languages: English, Spanish
Subtitles: English, Spanish
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Disc Size: BD-66
Disc Use: 59.2GB total / 53.7GB for the film
Video Bitrate: 62.2 Mb/s