Style over substance is only an issue for me when the style side isn't up to scratch, and I don't think that's the case with Drive. Michael Mann is one of my favourite filmmakers ever and he's the godfather of that whole 'fuck depth, just look' approach that Refn obviously loves. I get the feeling he must've watched
this scene on a loop when making Drive, as well as playing a fair bit of GTA: Vice City (both big plus points for me, influence-wise).