Drive ending explained: The protagonist has left Irene for good

Nicolas Winding Refn's 2011 film, starring Ryan Gosling, Drive, features an unnamed protagonist known simply as The Driver. It's not really a complicated story, but the director leaves its ending open to interpretation. To this day, there is debate over whether The Driver is still alive when the story concludes.

It is also a love story, where the Driver forms a bond with his neighbor and her son. However, the neighbor's husband is a former prisoner named Standard (Oscar Isaac), but the situation changes when The Driver and Standard become involved in a dangerous task together.

After some action scenes and a final kiss between the lead and his neighbor, we see the lead drive off into the night with his stomach recently stabbed by a mob boss. It's unclear whether he survived. However, the director also provided an answer to that, which we will discuss in this explainer.

How does Drive end?

Drive concludes with the implication that Ryan Gosling has finally left his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son because he doesn't want to involve them in his life. Although he wishes for a normal life for them, it is the work he does that leads him to make this decision.

The Driver works for a mob boss in the movie called Bernie (Albert Brooks), who doesn't want him to leave because of his skills as a getaway driver. Although he also works as a mechanic and a stunt double, it's this that he's really talented at.

Initially, Drive feels like witnessing a growing love story between the central character and Irene, as he also spends time with her son. However, Irene's husband, Standard, who, as we mentioned, is a dangerous man, is in significant debt and is asked by a gangster to rob a pawn shop, leading The Driver and him to work together.

However, the job goes wrong, and Standard is killed in the aftermath. However, Gosling's character is suspicious that something else is amiss. So he investigates and forces one of the persons involved in the robbery, Blanche (Christina Hendricks), to tell the truth. It is revealed that Bernie's partner, Nino (Ron Perlman), was behind everything and wanted to get all the money from the robbery.

In the end, Gosling's character finally tells Irene about his involvement in Standard's death and kisses her before a hitman tries to kill the protagonist, but fails. After that, a final fight ensues, where he is stabbed by Bernie, who lies to him about Irene's safety, but is killed.

What does the final scene mean?

A still from the film. (Image via Bold Films)

After this sequence, he drives through the night. Though he is never to return, it seems because when Irene knocks at the door, there is no answer from the house.

Maybe the protagonist died, but the director thinks differently, as he explained in one of the interviews with Screen Rant. He said,

"Well all my films always have open endings. All of them. Because I believe art is always best when...you talk about it and think about it, so forth. Maybe once in awhile I've gone too far, but I always believe in finding the right balance. And in 'Drive' he lives on for more and new adventures."

Many more theories have surfaced over the years, and that trend might continue. If you also have a theory about the film, please share it with us in the comments.