Drive 4K Ultra HD SteelBook

In "Drive," a Hollywood stunt driver for movies moonlights as a wheelman for criminals and discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong. Though a loner by nature, the stunt driver (Gosling) can't help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene (Mulligan), a young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband. After the heist gone wrong, he finds himself driving defense for the girl he loves, tailgated by a syndicate of deadly serious criminals (Brooks and Perlman). Soon he realizes the gangsters are after more than the bag of cash and is forced to shift gears and go on the defense. Based on the book by James Sallis. (Gary Reber)

Special features include four featurettes: "Back in The Driver’s Seat" (HD 13:12), "I Drive" (HD 05:26), "Under The Hood" (HD 11:50), "Driver And Irene" (HD 06:14), and "Cut To The Chase" (HD 04:35); "Drive Without A Driver" documentary interview with Director Nicolas Winding Refn (HD 25:41); theatrical trailer upfront previews and a Movies Anywhere digital copy.

The 2.39:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 4K Ultra HD Doby Vision/HDR10 picture, reviewed on a VIZIO Quantum X P85QX-JI UHD/HDR display, was photographed digitally using the Arri Alexa camera system and sourced from a 4K Digital Intermediate. Picture quality is terrific, with a perfectly natural appearance throughout. Color fidelity is rendered naturally as well, with strong but natural hues and primaries. Reds, in particular, are nicely presented with, at times, boldness. Flesh tones are naturally toned throughout. HDR contrast is well balanced with deep, solid blacks and revealing shadow delineation. Throughout, clarity and resolution are excellent, with fine detail revealed in facial features, hair, clothing, and object texture, even in the darker and dimly lit sequences. Dimensionality is quite good as well. This is a solid visual experience, with a natural look that heightens the often intense realism. (Gary Reber)

The repurposed Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is superb, with an overall holosonically intense presence, with energized and directionalized surround envelopment. The music score drives the action with various genres presented, from soft to raucous, often with an engaging undercurrent of deep bass supported by the .1 LFE channel. Atmospherics and sound effects are well recorded and presented with a sense of spatial integration to the on-screen action, such as during various car chase scenes with helicopter effects overhead. Such effects are powerful and dynamic at times, such as a segment of powerful shotgun fire, and heighten the intensity. The audio elements are integrated seamlessly. Stereo soundstage imaging also is excellent. Dialogue sounds naturally toned and generally spatially integrated. Overall, this is a very fine soundtrack that is engagingly supportive of the storytelling. (Gary Reber)

The Immersive Sound element is wonderfully aggressive with a very active height layer comprised of an extension of the music, subtle atmospherics and sound effects, such as a segment of a loud buzzing helicopter panned around the four vectors. This is an excellent example of utilization of the height layer and panning effects. If only every soundtrack would deliver such dimensionality.

This is an excitingly intense holosonic® spherical surround soundtrack that is well crafted and will serve as an excellent showcase for an Immersive Surround home theatre system. (Gary Reber)