Driver is a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Though he projects an icy exterior, lately he's been warming up to a pretty neighbor named Irene and her young son, Benicio. When Irene's husband gets out of jail, he enlists Driver's help in a million-dollar heist. The job goes horribly wrong, and Driver must risk his life to protect Irene and Benicio from the vengeful masterminds behind the robbery.
Direction
Refn's fetishistic attention to lighting and negative space.
Score
Chromatics and Kavinsky turn violence into synthwave ballet.
Cinematography
LA as mythic wasteland — parking lots never looked so beautiful.
Director
Nicolas Winding Refn
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Refn was so broke he couldn't afford a second camera for the opening getaway sequence — that seamless 'one continuous shot' is actually just very clever editing.
The Driver's scorpion jacket is a direct reference to the fable 'The Scorpion and the Frog' — he cannot help his nature, even when it drowns them both.
US
