Ryan Gosling took on this role because he wanted to take on a more action-oriented project. Drive definitely has its adrenaline fuelled moments, but it is far from a traditional action movie.
Gosling star as an unnamed Hollywood Stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for heists and robberies. When he meets his new neighbour, Irene, a single mother who’s raising her son Benicio, he quickly falls in love.
But Benicio’s father, Standard Gabriel, owes money to dangerous gangsters, and those debts threaten Irene and Benicio. The Driver then agrees to act as a getaway driver for Standard who’s planning a pawn shop robbery to cover his debts.
Drive moves to a different pace. It’s a neo-noir movie, clearly inspired by classics like Taxi Driver, and while the movie is set in a contemporary setting, it uses parts of Los Angeles that are definitely retro and kitschy, which contributes to the 80s aesthetic of Drive.
A reflection on love and violence, Drive is a unique movie that triumphs thanks to Ryan Gosling’s captivating performance.
