This is the type of film that Quentin Tarantino might be making if he had followed the path of Foxy Brown. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, a man with a passion for crime films, and adapted by Hossein Amini from a short novel by James Sallis, this is a highly stylised neo-noir car film for smart people who dislike Fast & Furious.
By day, Driver (Ryan Gosling) is a Hollywood stunt-driver and mechanic working for Shannon (Bryan Cranston). By night, Driver is an excellent get-away driver for robbers, able to navigate night time LA with intelligence and skill. His life moves along without incident until he meets Irene (Carey Mulligan), a woman who lives with her son in the same building. The two become close and Driver allows Irene and her son into his life but things spiral into violence when Irene’s husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac) arrives home from prison and Driver agrees to help him in a heist to protect Irene.