Driver is a stunt driver by day and a getaway driver by night. Doesn’t matter what job he does, Driver is most comfortable behind the wheel of a car. Shannon is part mentor, part manager for Driver. Since he knows what a great talent Driver is behind the wheel, he either peddles him to film and television directors in the entertainment business or thieves who need an accomplished getaway driver, taking a cut for his own pockets.

Always looking to make a buck, Shannon’s current plan is funding a stock car that Driver can race on the professional circuit. Since Bernie Rose is the wealthiest guy he knows, even if the sources of his money are questionable, Shannon proposes he be their investor. After seeing Driver in action at the speedway, Bernie Rose insists Nino partners with them as well. Primarily a loner and ambivalent about the deals Shannon makes for him, Driver’s world changes the day he shares an elevator ride at his apartment building with Irene.

When he sees her again at the grocery store with her young son, Benicio, he is transfixed, and willingly offers help when they are stranded in the parking lot because Irene’s car won’t start. Soon Driver settles into a routine of driving Irene to her waitress job and watching Benicio, entangled in their lives while her car is fixed. This interlude in Driver’s life abruptly stops when Standard, Irene’s husband, is let out early from prison for good behavior. Even though nothing has happened between Driver and Irene, Standard is threatened by another man’s presence in his family’s life. Driver backs off, respectful of Irene’s desire to keep her family together, but when he finds Standard bloodied and lying in the garage with a scared Benicio standing next to his father, Driver is embroiled even further in Irene’s life.

Then trouble begins...


Ryan Gosling ... Driver
Carey Mulligan ... Irene
Ron Perlman ... Nino
Christina Hendricks ... Blanche
Bryan Cranston ... Shannon
Albert Brooks ... Bernie Rose
Oscar Isac ... Standard Guzman
Christian Cage ... Christian
Kaden Leos ... Benicio


What They're Saying...

"... Part love story, part black comedy, and part crime thriller, 'Drive' is a film-lover's dream." - Cole Smithey

"... Precisely paced, but with plenty of fantastic action set-pieces, Drive is too much fun. Seriously, it’s COOL." - Simon Miraudo.

"... Gosling is marvelous to watch on screen. He's charming, tough, and smart." - Chase Whale

"... A film you will want to watch over and over again." - Brad Brevet

"... Ryan Gosling's Drive is outrageous, brutal, tender and kind of brilliant." - Digital Spy Movies

"... Gosling does a Steve McQueen cooler-than-cool star turn." - Pete Hammond

"... An exploitation/modern Western mix with brilliantly over-the-top sequences and gleeful abandon in its spirit. Long may Winding Refn rule." - Simon Gallagher

"... One of the few films I could potentially call flawless." - Alex Billington

"... In a bravura performance, Gosling reveals himself as an über-cool action hero reminiscent of the Steve McQueen or the young Clint Eastwood." - Brian D. Johnson

"... Drive is a brutal, tender and outrageous genre mash-up." - Simon Reynolds

"... [Drive] manages to hit that cinematic sweet spot of critic-approved artfulness and multiplex-approved genre exhilaration." - Aaron Hillis

"... Gosling and Mulligan in particular look like they were born to be in a two shot together." - Glenn Heath Jr

"... Drive is such a thrilling, taut, visually dazzling exercise in genre filmmaking that even its more gruesome scenes left us giddy." - Melissa Anderson

"... Between the gripping performances, the stunning lighting, the perfect soundtrack and the taut script, the sound is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the brilliance that is director Nicolas Winding Refn’s newest film." - Cinema Blend

"... Tense, bloody and absolutely astounding." - John C Clark

"... Drive both is and isn’t something familiar, weaving brutally realistic violence in with lyrical beauty, switching back and forth with rapid unexpectedness." - Jandy Stone

"... A thrilling modern neo-noir at its best, it is dangerous, taut and tantalizing. DRIVE fires on all cylinders and is quite the adrenaline rush." - Courtney Howard

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Drive signals the return of films in the vein of Steve McQueen's bad-ass car pictures. It's a film that has its finger on the pulse of what's current and in style, and one that has solidified its place as the coolest film of the year. ... Refn seems to take delight in defying the audience's pre-conceived notions of what to expect from a genre film of this type. His leading action-man is quiet, introspective and bordering on awkward, but it's this level of restraint in Hossein Amini's script, and in Gosling's performance, that make the film's sudden outbursts of extreme violence all the more powerful. The outcome of one particular scrape in an elevator will likely leave your mouth agape. Let's just say that Driver's probably going to need a new pair of shoes. Despite the film's title, car chases are fairly sparse. When they do occur, however, it's because the film has arrived to them organically, something that mainstream Hollywood action movies have forgotten over the last few decades. Most modern action films insert a chase or action scene as if they're just trying fill in time or meet some kind of action quota. Classic films known for their car chases, like The French Connection and Bullitt, understood that the action would be much more satisfying if it only occurred because the characters were pushed to their breaking points by the story. Drive understands this perfectly. Gosling and Mulligan have an incredible chemistry, which is impressive when you consider how little they actually speak to each other. There is a sweetness to their burgeoning relationship that is subtle and realistic. Each actor manages to say more with a glance or an awkward smile than most do with pages worth of dialogue to work with. Albert Brooks on the other hand, has one of the more talkative characters in the film, and achieves a level of intimidating menace that hasn't really been seen from him before. Ron Perlman is reliable as ever, and has a lot of fun with his foul-mouthed gangster-role, and Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston effortlessly applies a lot of heart to his supporting role as Driver's boss and loyal friend, Shannon. ... One thing's certain, the combination of car-thrills, an excellent synth-pop soundtrack, great performances and the juxtaposition of beauty and shocking violence, ensure that Drive will become an instant cult-classic. Just be prepared for cool stuntman jackets and creepy blank-faced masks to become a new staple amongst your film-geek friends at your next costume party. 10/10 Drive Review - Movies Review at IGN

Recommended: Drive: Wham, bam, thank you, man! Ryan Gosling rocks like a young Steve McQueen or Robert De Niro, playing a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a wheelman for criminals. The film rolls like a hybrid of Bullitt and Taxi Driver, with Gosling stepping up his game and demonstrating his chops as an action hero in the speak-softly-and-carry-a-big-stick vein. The casting is great overall, but another brilliant stroke is the choice of funnyman Albert Brooks as a brutal L.A. dealmaker. TIFF reviews: 25 films and counting - Movies, TIFF - Toronto.com

... VERDICT: Ultra-violent, ultra-stylish, petrol-headed entertainment with enough arthouse flair to keep it interesting. Go watch it. But don't expect Fast & Furious 6. And don't take the kids. Film review: Drive - BBC Top Gear

9/10 ... There is a dreamy, haunting quality that weaves its way through Drive that is unlike other heist movies. It is a sense of beauty that carefully tucks in the violence and horror that is lurking just around the corner. It is an original love story that feels doomed from the very beginning. From out of the quiet, the darkness escapes leaving its audience white-knuckled and stunned. Drive is Nicolas Winding Refn’s masterpiece. While some of it may feel familiar, especially looking at THIEF (1981) starring James Caan and THE DRIVER (1978) starring Ryan O’Neal, the director gives it his very own compelling persona. Refn brings the city of Los Angeles to life, with one of the most spectacularly shot features this year. Whether it is the imagery of massive buildings with a reflection of a series of street lights or the harrowing racing sequences, Refn and cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel paint a magnificent portrait of LA, in essence the city becomes a character in itself. The chase sequences are especially thrilling considering “Driver’s” composed intensity as he sits behind the wheel. What really makes Drive stand out is the marriage of violence and character and music. The soundtrack features a variation of dreamy pop tunes that – much like the movie itself – are drowned in innocence and techno pop. It is a strange and exotic marriage of music that feels reminiscent of something David Lynch would offer. The surprisingly upbeat “A Real Hero” by College somehow feels perfect in this turbulent world. The hypnotic score by Cliff Martinez also gives Drive a bit of an edge. It is rare that the soundtrack and score feel as vivid as it does here. This is true beauty when it comes to the music. ... What would be criminal when reviewing Drive is to not mention the amazing supporting cast. Ryan Gosling is absolutely brilliant - with his exotic scorpion jacket and his bottled up intensity - but Albert Brooks steals a scene or two with his vicious gangster Bernie Rose. Then of course you have the wonderfully talented Mulligan, the powerful Ron Perlman and the great Bryan Cranston all of whom fill out the cast nicely. Christina Hendricks is slightly wasted in a small role, but she does fine with what she is given. In the end, DRIVE is a smart, aggressively intense thriller with an all star cast and one of the best directors working in film today. This is one of the true MUST-SEE flicks of the year, absolutely incredible. Review: Drive - Movie News | JoBlo.com

The film cost a meagre $2 million. Gosling points out that the total Drive budget is one tenth of what it cost to shoot just the opening sequence of Fast Five, an instalment of The Fast and the Furious franchise. Gosling on brink of superstardom | Movies | Entertainment | Toronto Sun

Drive: Ryan Gosling nails his first action role. He plays a stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver, and stumbles into a noble mission to save his neighbour (Carey Mulligan) and her young son from gangland retribution. Gosling combines Zen-like grace with psychotic brutality, unleashing a virtually silent performance as an über-cool action hero reminiscent of Steve McQueen. Painting L.A. in shades of neon noir, Denmark’s Nicolas Winding Refn (Valhalla Rising) plays a waiting game with sparse dialogue and hair-trigger suspense, snapped by bursts of bone-crushing violence. Albert Brooks makes a surprisingly scary villain. Drive - Film - Macleans.ca

Drive feels like a '70s loner film filtered through '80s action movie sensibilities, but set in the present day. If Michael Mann were to remake Taxi Driver in 2011, it would closely resemble this work. Aesthetically, Drive is littered, with '80s styles, jean jackets, synth-pop and smoking in restaurants, but the tone is distinctly rooted in '70s American neo-noir. ... Drive rides the line between minimalistic and viscerally arresting, just as the character of the Driver struggles with his own duality. This is a revenge movie with a soul, and it's one of the best films of the year so far. Drive - Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn • TIFF Reviews • exclaim.ca

Ryan Gosling is on fire in this fever dream of a film noir playing a Hollywood stunt man who moonlights as a getaway driver. That quickie plot summary doesn't begin to suggest how hard director Nicolas Winding Refn's film will hit you in the head and the heart. Brace yourself. Peter Travers' Fall Movie Preview: 'Drive' | Rolling Stone Movies | Photos

... There is a lot of blood, guts and brains spilled, one extended-play face stomping, a couple slashings and a guy who gets a fork stuck in his eye. And some guys who get crushed by cars, shot, forcibly drowned etc., etc. So you might want to wait for the airplane version. But see it anyway. With or without the violence, it's the perfect Western/hero/revenge story, missing only Shane riding off into the sunset. But as it is, it's a great movie that just happens to have some cool cars. Drive movie review: Good guy, bad guys, cute girl, cars - Autoweek

***1/2/**** Tense car chases, action scenes handled with crisp panache and Canadian actor Ryan Gosling channelling Steve McQueen as an existential wheel man add up to make Drive one of the best arty-action films since Steven Soderbergh's The Limey. Gosling’s character – a stunt driver by day, a getaway man by night – and his ambitious manager (Bryan Cranston) get involved with some bad people, Albert Brooks playing a razor-wielding thug/movie producer and Ron Perlman as his nastier partner. True to its seventies genre roots, the plot is enthusiastically pulpy, with the hero compelled to protect a young mother (Carey Mulligan) while battling his enemies.

Buckle up for the existential bloodbath of Drive, a brilliant piece of nasty business that races on a B-movie track until it switches to the dizzying fuel of undiluted creativity. Damn, it's good. You can get buzzed just from the fumes coming off this wild thing. That's Ryan Gosling at the wheel. He plays Driver (I told you it was existential), a Hollywood stunt racer who moonlights as a getaway wheel man. Gosling is dynamite in the role, silent, stoic, radiating mystery. Driver isn't into planning robberies. He doesn't carry a gun. "I drive," he says. And he proves it in an opening chase scene so thrillingly intense and cleanly edited it will give you whiplash. ... In league with camera whiz Newton Thomas Sigel and composer Cliff Martinez, Refn creates a fever dream that sucks you in. Or maybe you'll hate it. Drive is a polarizer. It's also pure cinema, a grenade of image and sound ready to blow. Drive | Rolling Stone Movies | Movie Reviews

... A lot of folks have been saying that DRIVE is heavily reminiscent of early Michael Mann, and I agree, especially if you compare this to THIEF. It also has obvious parallels with Walter Hill's THE DRIVER, but DRIVE is not a pastiche of other films. No, DRIVE is markedly original, to the point that I'm quite sure that if Michael Mann, or Walter Hill were given the script to DRIVE, they would have made something that wouldn't remotely resemble the film Refn delivered. Granted, the whole “getaway driver with a heart of gold” thing has been done before, but DRIVE still feels wholly original. Gosling's nameless character is a fascinating figure. Soft spoken, and polite, he avoids any kind of macho posturing (minus his trademark jacket with a scorpion on the back). He's portrayed as an extremely noble figure, reminiscent of golden age gunslingers like SHANE, and he treats Carey Mulligan's Irene, along with her son Benicio, with care, and respect- to the extent that he never even dares to make a pass at the married Irene. He's also kind to his nice-guy boss, an aging, crippled mechanic played by the great Bryan Cranston, who rides his coat-tails in the hope of turning the young driver into a race-car driver. ... Before this, I would have never pegged Gosling as the heir apparent to the kind of action-cool that was personified in the sixties and seventies by guys like Steve McQueen. I've always liked him, but I always took him as a straight drama guy, but he can go toe-to-toe with any action icon you dare to mention. Teamed with the startlingly original Refn, and [b]you've got a star-filmmaker pair that I hope continues making films together for years to come. ... Suffice to say, DRIVE gets a perfect score from me. It's really exciting that in the space of two weeks we get not one, but two amazing films (this and WARRIOR), produced with modest budgets, and aimed at a grown-up audience (it should be noted, DRIVE is ultra-violent, but in a HISTORY OF VIOLENCE kind of way, meaning not over the top or comical). Please, please, PLEASE get out and support these two movies, as this is the kind of film Hollywood needs to be making- in that it works not only as entertainment, but also as art. And make no mistake, DRIVE is art. 10/10