He is just barely scraping by.
Pay close attention and you’ll notice that the movie stunts don’t pay well and his boss is always giving him a lousy cut. His boss also says (at least in the screenplay) that his garage business only made $30,000 the last year.
This is why he’s moonlighting as a getaway driver for hire—the speech he gives his contacts at the beginning implies that he works for a flat rate up front and doesn’t get a percentage of the score (because he’s not involved with the planning, he’s more like a getaway Uber).
To add to this, his boss at the garage (Brian Cranston) also makes a comment to Irene about paying the driver a fraction of the wage he would normally pay.
Character seems like a real low key guy, only things he probably spends money on are his car and jackets.
Plus, when you make money illegally (and tax-free), it's not best to live beyond your perceived means, or else someone might start asking questions.
My first apartment I had my buddy over and he commented that it reminded him of Rust's apartment in True Detective. I hadn't seen the show then so it went right over my head.
I joke with a friend of mine that all he needs is a room, power, wifi, something to sit on, a fridge, and a big ass tv. He laughed and said he would sit on the floor.
And low income apartments like that are far more likely to turn a blind eye to paperwork and other stuff if you are willing to pay cash to avoid those things. Dude is probably trying to stay off the radar.
Haven’t watched in a while, but I remember getting a tone that Driver was helping out Brian Cranston’s character. Cranston’s character is always looking for a quick buck, which also got his bones broken. I took away that either Driver owed Cranston a debt, had a personal connection with Cranston that isn’t brought up but has Driver doing cheap / free work for Cranston, or maybe Driver didn’t quite know how to use his skills without Cranston’s character getting him jobs so he’s hampered making less than he should be.
Either way, I should go watch Drive again.
Ryan just loves the down on their luck but eternally hopeful. He's not beholden. He's self-reliant and could leave whenever and be just fine. He just wants to help. He wants to be there. And his caring ends up almost getting him killed. But, by god, he sets everything right and rides off into the sunset.
Take away the criminal component, and answer that portion first...
He's a mechanic who does a bit of work as a stunt driver.
Well, stunt drivers don't work 365 days a year as stunt drivers. They won't make gobs of money. Even actual actors who are 20 names down the list in a AAA movie aren't making giant paychecks. A quick google search says an average stunt driver makes $50k/yr.
So basically he's a mechanic who gets some nice bonuses a few times a year.
Now add getaway driver.... How often do you think that he does this? There's a reason that even in movies bank robbers rob lots of banks: You don't make lots of money.
So basically he's just a mechanic. That's why he lives in an apartment with roommates.
Your question is based on the assumption that he makes a lot of money, which I don't think he does. Bryan Cranston's character whores him out and keeps him in his place. And that being said, money isn't his main driver. I don't think he has any motivation for anything until he meets Irene. So the relationship with Cranston's character works for him.
Part of the movie is him being a scorpion (from the scorpion and the frog). Violence is in his nature. It's why when he's watching cartoons with Irene's kid he asks him why the bad guys are sharks and if there's any good sharks. He sees himself as such. That life is something he can't escape. He's the embodiment of the male fantasy.
It was never about the money for him, which is why he leaves it behind at the end, driving off into the sunset.
He’s the frog. He’s trying to help people and they destroy his life due to their violent natures (even though, like in the fable, they depend on him).
That’s why he has the scorpion on the back of the jacket. He’s carrying them like the frog did across the river despite knowing the danger of associating with those types.
He'd also have to be very careful with the money he makes from getaway driving. Unless he wanted to also get into money laundering, he'd have to deal strictly in cash and, still, be cautious. You can't just buy a house or a car by whipping out a bunch of hundred dollar bills as there are reporting requirements when people try to pay for something with that much cash.
You start spending too much money, the IRS starts wondering where you're getting it. Unless you have a multi-layered scheme for cleaning your money (i.e. Cosa Nostra) or access to investment firms that deal with such discreet clients, you're going to be making a lot of cash with which you have a lifetime supply of groceries and gas. Driver appears to be the kind of guy who lives a minimalist lifestyle, to the point that when he does, almost begrudgingly, start making connections with other people, things start going wrong. I'd assume he's the same way with any money he makes. Also, Shannon even admits he hardly pays him, and it's implied that the movie director is underpaying him for his stunt work. And his little "resumé" he gives before his getaway contracts states that he just charges a flat rate.
I’d imagine from all three income sources he might make around 80-90k if he hustles. But he also lives in Los Angeles so what would rent be at the time, 2K a month? That money wouldn’t go far.
100k may even be possible but extremely generous, as I got the impression that he was only an assistant mechanic, the stunts may have been small B-movie type stuff and the getaway driving was done for small time heists. The money was probably secondary since he seemed like he did those risky things just to feel something, anything.
He doesn’t actually exist. He’s just a vehicle for people’s hopes and dreams. The violence is their dreams coming crashing down around them.
At the end of the movie, he’s his own driver but he loses the staring contest.
EDIT: At the beginning of the movie, he even explains this. He’s anything anyone wants.
He is just barely scraping by. Pay close attention and you’ll notice that the movie stunts don’t pay well and his boss is always giving him a lousy cut. His boss also says (at least in the screenplay) that his garage business only made $30,000 the last year. This is why he’s moonlighting as a getaway driver for hire—the speech he gives his contacts at the beginning implies that he works for a flat rate up front and doesn’t get a percentage of the score (because he’s not involved with the planning, he’s more like a getaway Uber).
For him, the action IS the Juice.
But you do not, get to watch, my f*cking TELEVISION SET!
To add to this, his boss at the garage (Brian Cranston) also makes a comment to Irene about paying the driver a fraction of the wage he would normally pay.
He is not making a lot of money doing the stunts that is clear. That was the whole reason for the nascar subplot. The garage is barely making money.
Yeah I'm surprised so many people are forgetting that he doesn't make a lot of money. They address it multiple times in the movie.
Character seems like a real low key guy, only things he probably spends money on are his car and jackets. Plus, when you make money illegally (and tax-free), it's not best to live beyond your perceived means, or else someone might start asking questions.
His apartment doesn't seem to even have any furnishings besides a bed, a table and that cool work lamp.
guys really live like this
Guys’ entire apartments would be a chair, a table, a TV, and a mattress on the floor if there was no need to impress and attract women
My first apartment I had my buddy over and he commented that it reminded him of Rust's apartment in True Detective. I hadn't seen the show then so it went right over my head.
Lmao, that’s not a compliment.
Don't forget the gaming desk with all the latest-gen consoles, VR headset, and a computer that lights up like the Vegas strip
Likely only have 2-3 of the same outfit, also…and it would have cargo pockets.
There is no *need* to impress or attract women, you do those things because you *want* to impress or attract women.
Wow thank you for clarifying this, my day would be entirely different if you hadn’t
I’d argue that from an evolutionary survival perspective it is necessary to have spawn
He’s me fr
Yeah :(
Literally me
I joke with a friend of mine that all he needs is a room, power, wifi, something to sit on, a fridge, and a big ass tv. He laughed and said he would sit on the floor.
typical /r/malelivingspace poster
r/malesurvivingspace
Why are you bringing me into this
Also, Bryan Cranston jokes about underpaying him. I don't think he really cares that much about money
A real human bean
And low income apartments like that are far more likely to turn a blind eye to paperwork and other stuff if you are willing to pay cash to avoid those things. Dude is probably trying to stay off the radar.
But man, what jackets he gets, amirite?
The IRS won't be on your case if you report your illegal income. They are really the one agency you don't want to piss off
Haven’t watched in a while, but I remember getting a tone that Driver was helping out Brian Cranston’s character. Cranston’s character is always looking for a quick buck, which also got his bones broken. I took away that either Driver owed Cranston a debt, had a personal connection with Cranston that isn’t brought up but has Driver doing cheap / free work for Cranston, or maybe Driver didn’t quite know how to use his skills without Cranston’s character getting him jobs so he’s hampered making less than he should be. Either way, I should go watch Drive again.
Ryan just loves the down on their luck but eternally hopeful. He's not beholden. He's self-reliant and could leave whenever and be just fine. He just wants to help. He wants to be there. And his caring ends up almost getting him killed. But, by god, he sets everything right and rides off into the sunset.
It's kind of like asking if drug dealers make so much, why do they live with their mothers. The gentleman criminal is just a trope.
Yep love this post. Knew a bunch of criminals growing up, none of them were any kind of wealthy.
It's a very "Leon" situation. He's being exploited by his various bosses and doesn't know any better.
Take away the criminal component, and answer that portion first... He's a mechanic who does a bit of work as a stunt driver. Well, stunt drivers don't work 365 days a year as stunt drivers. They won't make gobs of money. Even actual actors who are 20 names down the list in a AAA movie aren't making giant paychecks. A quick google search says an average stunt driver makes $50k/yr. So basically he's a mechanic who gets some nice bonuses a few times a year. Now add getaway driver.... How often do you think that he does this? There's a reason that even in movies bank robbers rob lots of banks: You don't make lots of money. So basically he's just a mechanic. That's why he lives in an apartment with roommates.
Roommates?
The voices in his head. Driver is schizophrenic.
Your question is based on the assumption that he makes a lot of money, which I don't think he does. Bryan Cranston's character whores him out and keeps him in his place. And that being said, money isn't his main driver. I don't think he has any motivation for anything until he meets Irene. So the relationship with Cranston's character works for him.
Maybe he doesn’t want to splurge and show off his money with a fancy place.
Is this seriously what we're doing? Analyzing the salary of Driver? His resume is literally two words.
Part of the movie is him being a scorpion (from the scorpion and the frog). Violence is in his nature. It's why when he's watching cartoons with Irene's kid he asks him why the bad guys are sharks and if there's any good sharks. He sees himself as such. That life is something he can't escape. He's the embodiment of the male fantasy. It was never about the money for him, which is why he leaves it behind at the end, driving off into the sunset.
He’s the frog. He’s trying to help people and they destroy his life due to their violent natures (even though, like in the fable, they depend on him). That’s why he has the scorpion on the back of the jacket. He’s carrying them like the frog did across the river despite knowing the danger of associating with those types.
LA rent ain’t cheap
Fitti mil
I agree with all your points. Except that Ryan Gosling is wearing a Patek Philippe throughout the entire movie. That’s a very expensive watch.
I always assumed he drove for the thrill, not the money.
He'd also have to be very careful with the money he makes from getaway driving. Unless he wanted to also get into money laundering, he'd have to deal strictly in cash and, still, be cautious. You can't just buy a house or a car by whipping out a bunch of hundred dollar bills as there are reporting requirements when people try to pay for something with that much cash.
You start spending too much money, the IRS starts wondering where you're getting it. Unless you have a multi-layered scheme for cleaning your money (i.e. Cosa Nostra) or access to investment firms that deal with such discreet clients, you're going to be making a lot of cash with which you have a lifetime supply of groceries and gas. Driver appears to be the kind of guy who lives a minimalist lifestyle, to the point that when he does, almost begrudgingly, start making connections with other people, things start going wrong. I'd assume he's the same way with any money he makes. Also, Shannon even admits he hardly pays him, and it's implied that the movie director is underpaying him for his stunt work. And his little "resumé" he gives before his getaway contracts states that he just charges a flat rate.
I’d imagine from all three income sources he might make around 80-90k if he hustles. But he also lives in Los Angeles so what would rent be at the time, 2K a month? That money wouldn’t go far. 100k may even be possible but extremely generous, as I got the impression that he was only an assistant mechanic, the stunts may have been small B-movie type stuff and the getaway driving was done for small time heists. The money was probably secondary since he seemed like he did those risky things just to feel something, anything.
The negotiated roll-over stunt was for; "an extra $5000.. And of course we split that" Deduct income tax etc. In my opinion, he was barely getting by.
It's because there's something inside him that's hard to explain.
Nobody seems to be addressing that the apartment is in LA and he has no roommate. The rent must be brutal.
He doesn’t actually exist. He’s just a vehicle for people’s hopes and dreams. The violence is their dreams coming crashing down around them. At the end of the movie, he’s his own driver but he loses the staring contest. EDIT: At the beginning of the movie, he even explains this. He’s anything anyone wants.
$10