Ever since he appeared on the scene in the early 90s in the Goosebumps episode “Say Cheese and Die,” Ryan Gosling has proven to be an incredible force to be reckoned with. He became the first person born in the 1980s to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor and continues to rack up award nominations year after year — in fact, he’s received two Oscar nominations so far, with even more Golden Globes. Gosling’s most awaited project to be released is the spy thriller The Gray Man on Netflix, opposite Chris Evans, as reported by Deadline.
The most remarkable thing about Gosling is his ability to mesmerize audiences with his on-screen presence, disappearing into any role that he plays. Whether it’s a drama, a comedy, or, in the cast of this article, action, Gosling can do it all. While we await his return to the action genre in Netflix’s The Gray Man, here’s a look at his best action movies, ranked.
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5 The Place Beyond the Pines
Focus Features
In The Place Beyond the Pines, Luke (Ryan Gosling) is a mysterious biker who rides inside globes of death for a traveling circus. When he finds out that his ex-girlfriend Romina (Eva Mendes) has had his child, he tries to get back together with her. His intention is to show himself a father capable of supporting his son and, to do that, Luke decides to participate in a series of bank robberies. The problem is that Luke can’t suppress his violent side, which gets him into trouble, not only with Romina but also with Robin (Ben Mendelsohn), his heist partner. Despite the various unexpected problems that arise, Luke still resolves to carry out a bank robbery alone. Pursued by the police, he becomes the target of Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), a police officer who goes about his routine making the daily round.
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4 First Man
Universal Pictures
The plot of First Man follows the life of American astronaut Neil Armstrong in a far more accurate biopic than average, according to IndieWire, and his journey to become the first man to walk on the moon. Indeed, the film portrays the personal sacrifices and costs that Armstrong, played by Gosling, made during one of the most dangerous missions in the history of American space travel. First Man reunites Gosling with La La Land director Damien Chazelle, and is based on the book First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James Hansen.
3 Blade Runner 2049
Warner Bros. Pictures
Blade Runner 2049 features the replicant K, played by Gosling, an artificial being created and programmed to “retire” previous models. K is an exemplary police officer who helps keep society in order in 2049 Los Angeles. However, in his latest case, K ends up finding the bones of a possible replicant who may have given birth to a child — something that could destabilize the social strata of the world.
2 The Nice Guys
Shane Black’s The Nice Guys tragically went relatively unnoticed when it was released in 2016. Starring Gosling and Russell Crowe as two inept detectives investigating the death of a porn star, the movie feels so fresh and so funny, almost like a movie from the 1990s. Gosling is easily at his best: there’s action, comedy, and drama all rolled into one exquisite role.
1 Drive
Bold Films
There are productions that are unforgettable in cinema, and Drive is that kind of movie. Released in 2011 in the US, the film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn received a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival and took home the award for Best Director. Gosling plays a quiet guy who, by day, works as a mechanic and stuntman in Hollywood action movies, while at night he works as a driver for robbers. However, in this unconventional service, he has a code of conduct of not getting involved with criminals, not carrying a weapon — just driving. The Driver, as he’s known, eventually develops a close relationship with beautiful neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son, but the relationship is shaken when her imprisoned husband (Oscar Isaac) is released and returns home. Upon discovering that he is wanted by the mafia, the former inmate turns to the Driver for a service that can clean up his bar and, with that, protect Irene and the boy.
