Before The Fall Guy, Ryan Gosling had already played a stuntman on the big screen in Drive, which is now available to watch on Netflix UK.
Although the actor has starred in many incredible movies through his career, from the hilarious The Nice Guys to Oscar winners La La Land and Barbie, this 2011 thriller is definitely his best work, as well as a total fan-favourite.
It also features one of the most iconic pieces of clothing in recent movie history — Gosling's satin bomber jacket with a golden scorpion in the back.
Based on James Sallis's 2005 novel, Driver follows an unnamed man with insane driving skills who works as a mechanic and stunt man during the day, and a getaway driver for criminals at night.
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Gosling's hero hides behind a mask of seriousness and indifference, but soon his feelings start to affect his stone-cold decision-making, as he falls in love with his neighbour Irene (played by Carey Mulligan) and enjoys the company of her son Benicio.
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However, when Irene's husband Standard (played by Oscar Isaac) gets out of jail, things get complicated. Standard hires the driver to help him escape from a million-dollar heist, and he accepts in order to protect Irene and Benicio.
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, the movie also stars Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks.
Drive was an important movie in Ryan Gosling's career, released the same year as romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love and George Clooney's drama critically-acclaimed The Ides of March.
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It was also a personal project for the actor, as he was the first one to be onboard and reached out to Refn to direct it.
"I'd secretly had this feeling I wanted the film not to be about driving fast or stunts but about a guy driving round listening to music, because that's the only way he could feel," he said in an interview with The Guardian back in 2011.
"That wasn't in the script but that's what Nicolas felt, too. We both connected to the idea that driving can be an existential experience and you can put your persona and identity aside because you're not really being watched.
"We were both interested in using the car as a vehicle to take you into the driver's subconscious."
Drive is now available to watch on Netflix UK. The movie is also available on Prime Video, ITVX and MUBI.
Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over eight years. Based in the UK, she is a former deputy movies editor at Digital Spy, and previously worked for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas. Mireia's work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema and GamesRadar+ in the UK. She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service.
During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She's also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London. LinkedIn
