I dont see any purpose in "Driver" wearing the mask when killing Nino. All he did was took a peek inside the pizzeria and wait outside the pizzeria. He could have done that without the mask also.
sharePossibly because he wanted to be in disguise from the mafia goons. He was looking through the window to see if Nino was inside
Also Nicholas winding is all about the visuals. The scene with the mask and music adds a more dramatic flare
As said above it has a purpose and it's also a visual style thing.
I mean, this movie is highly stylized as it is.
Some examples:
-the strippers being as still as mannequins in the dressing room scene.
-Driver wearing his blood splattered scorpion jacket in broad daylight.
-putting a wrist watch on a steering wheel.
- Having two burglars waiting across the street of a heist target until their escape car shows up so they can start breaking in.
None of that stuff is realistic or smart but that's suspension of disbelief for ya.
I'm not done convincing you!
The reason he wears a mask is ecause he thinks of himself as a superhero. The jacket and the mask are aart of his "costume". This man is differnet we know he is violent, distant, and kind of lives in his own realty. We never see his past but can determine its a dark one
share[deleted]
It also makes sense to foil identification. As when he tails Nino, a witness might say, "Yeah, I saw a car start out after them. I got a good look at the driver." With the mask on it doesn't matter how good a look he got.
shareIt wasn't for "safety". The purpose of the mask during the stunt was so that he'd look like the actor he was doubling for.
shareMaybe he was inspired by those psychopathic killers in other movies.
------
People only want to hear what they want to hear
You prolly didn't mean it that way but that's the point. He himself is not a murderer and doesn't want to see himself that way, so he's assuming a persona, like playing a character in a film. And only while "in character" he's able to do what he's going to do. It's not a disguise meant for others, it's an aid for himself, helping him go through with that killing.
Edit: And before somebody's objecting because of the killings in the elevator and on the parking lot - those a rather self defense situations and not premeditated murder.
[deleted]
I thought it was meant to be ironic. The film implies that he has a dark past - so the life we see at the start of film and his entire persona at that point (bar his nightlife) is a mask for the character. By donning the stunt mask he actually becomes more of his "true" self again. That's how I read it anyway.
shareHe didn't want anyone to be able to i.d. him, obviously, d'uh.
share