Director: Edgar Wright
Cast Headliners: Ansel Elgort, Lily James, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, others.
Original Release Date: June 28th, 2017
Edgar Wright needs
no introduction. Rather his style as a director is so distinct..from
the buddy romps of the “Cornetto Trilogy” of Shaun of the Dead /
Hot Fuzz / The World's End to the incredibly snappy adaptation of
Scott Pilgrim vs the World. He has a touch of hold mania in
everything he does, so to have him create a new film is always an
event. Baby Driver continues the tradition of unique, wild, hilarious
and action packed films he has made in the past.
The outset and
general theme of the film may seem to be generic, but in time it
proves to be have many unique redeeming values. A gang of criminals
robs banks and the sort with a getaway driver. This crew consists of
our hero Baby (Ansel Elgort) and at various times a rotating roster
of no-good doing but often likeable crooks including Buddy (Jon
Hamm), Darling(Eliza Gonzalez), Bats(Jamie Foxx), and less present
but additionally Griff(Jon Bernthal), No-Nose(Flea), and JD(Lanny
Joon). They work for the criminal mastermind Doc (Kevin Spacey).
Elsewhere in his life, Baby interacts with a mute roommate Joe (CJ
Jones) and finds love in waitress Debora(Lily James).
It's both a large
and intimate cast depending on the situation. The rotating group of
robbers leaves some amiss such as Bernthal but everyone makes an
impression across heists. In time the core Baby/Buddy/Darling/Bats
dynamic becomes a great thing about the film, right up there with the
best of Pegg / Frost in an American, criminal kind of way. Everyone ,
aided by snappy writing and usually clever humor, gives a great
performance. Particularly Hamm, Foxx, and Spacey. The audience will
fid themselves constantly jumping between cheering for, hating, and
laughing along and with these interesting criminal characters through
ferocity and charm. The dialogue delivery can be almost too punchy
and stereotypical but that's a bit of the point one imagines. It just
adds to the film's style.
The blend of style
and performance ties directly into the hero in Baby. He's a great
driver but doesn't talk much (one of a few comparisons to the 2011
film Drive...if that is an ice cube, this is a firecracker). An event
in his youth left a ringing in his air and so he constantly listens
to music to help him focus and balance things out. This is the first
sign of the bland of music and happenings... Elgort was perhaps
chosen more for his physical charisma than his charm, as he oddly
dances around scenes in tune to his music. A t first this will
surprise the viewer, and his standoffish personality may leave some
distaste. But over time as the action ramps up, so too does it all
make sense from Wright's approach..
This is a movie of
a few relationships and interplays but a foremost one, and a place
where Elgort succeeds as Baby moreso alongside Lily James as Debora,
is the romance. There's (but not overbearing) several warm well done
romance scenes that provide a good through line to the film. Their
moments together are breaths of charming air in the mania and bleeds
chemistry. This I the Scott Pilgrim influence coming through and
succeeding.
What defines Baby
Driver, because it happens so often, is the blend of action and
music. The soundtrack is filled with a large variety of pop, rock,
funk, etc songs that fit perfectly with where they are placed in a
manner t make the Guardians of the Galaxy proud..and then some.
More-so than that or others however is that they feed directly into
the scenes more than not. Drums become cars crushing into each other.
Gun shots become guitar riffs. It's a symphony of action and mania on
many clever occasions.
Even on their own
the action is incredible. There's plenty of it filled with twists and
turns and excitement and blood. Snappy but not hard to keep track of
in true Wright style. This cinematic craftsmanship carries into
scenes...rotating cameras, close shooting and tracking etc.. it feels
real yet surreal in a perfect wild blend.
Constant excitement
comes from these musical action moments as well as the plot itself.
The trailers appear to give away a lot but in actuality hide so many
twists and turns. The plot has many layers, from silly to frantic to
even some emotion. The ride runs a bit long and goes in some same
strokes, but becomes even more and more worth it. This is best to go
in with the blinders on. It will turn out better than expected for
one,, and from surprising areas that constantly hide delights.
Edgar Wright has
made another wild legend , among-st his best, with this film. The
humor, director-ship, story, and uniqueness are high mark. Sometimes
the jokes are too silly or it takes some mistakes with character use
but these are minor. It's a wild fun film that's worth checking out
and is a unique musical highlight of the year so far. 8.75 out of 10
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