For , the answer is no. Nicolas Winding Refn framed the film tightly for a 2.39:1 widescreen format. Watching it open matte technically violates the director's original vision, sometimes deflating the intended tension of tight close-ups.

For purists, open matte is controversial (as directors usually crop to 2.40:1 for a reason). However, Refn has admitted in interviews he composed Drive with "protected framing" for 1.78:1, meaning the open matte version is not a hack job—it’s an alternate, expansive viewing experience.

You may wonder: Why not 4K? There is currently no official 4K Blu-ray release of Drive (though rumors persist). The available 4K streams are often upscales with poor bitrates.