Baby Driver - Review
Director: Edgar Wright
Cast: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jon Hamm, Jon Bernthal, Eiza Gonzalez, Jamie Foxx
The inception of Edgar Wright's Baby Driver began with a single song - Bellbottoms by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Fast forward a couple of decades since that lighting bolt idea and that song now features within the first few minutes of Wright's first solo effort as a writer/director and the result is a sheer, exhilarating delight.
Vulnerable and talented getaway driver Baby (Ansel Elgort) serves as just that for Atlanta criminal boss Doc (Kevin Spacey). But the life of crime is not for him, and despite his adeptness behind the wheel, Baby cannot complete any job without listening to his favourite tunes to muffle his tinnitus (the consequence of a childhood accident). When he meets waitress Debora (Lily James), Baby finally envisions a life free of committing felonies, but Doc won't let him drive off into the sunset as easily as he hopes.
Edgar Wright has always been a stilted and highly ambitious film-maker as evidenced by all of his previous work, ranging from The World's End to Scott Pilgrim Vs the World. But now that he has a few tens of millions to add to the budget pot, Wright's expansive scope has afforded him the opportunity to widen his creative talents. After the film's getaway drive opener, Baby completes the traditional coffee run, a sequence that is captured in one glorious, continuous take. Collecting hot beverages is a commonplace activity, but with Wright at the helm, its presence in Baby Driver is entirely cinematic and highlights the painstaking artistry that the auteur strives for - and always successfully achieves. The car chases themselves, the film's piece de resistance, are a rip roaring good time. Remove the killer soundtrack that underscores the choreographed sequences and you've still got an excellent example of action direction. With the inclusion of the memorable tunes and their co-star status, they become an iconic and revolutionary piece of cinema.
Albeit a more serious film in comparison to the outright comedies of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Baby Driver still dishes out superb humour. Whilst introducing Baby to his latest cohort of criminals, Doc says of a particular member, "He puts the Asian in home invasion". Spacey's manipulative but often strangely paternal character is awarded some of the films best lines and it's utterly satisfying to see the two-time Academy Award winning actor take on a cinematic role worthy of his immense talent. Baby is Doc's prized getaway driver, intent on settling a debt he owes the kingpin. As a result, he has been marching to the beat of Doc's drum for years, scarcely being allowed to play from his own sheet music. We both fear and respect Doc as we're aware just how dangerous he can be when his desires are not fulfilled but his concern for Baby extends beyond flexing the young man's outstanding talents for his own financial gain.
Doc's band of merry criminals are overtly enigmatic in all of the ways that Baby is not and the roster of supporting character are one of the film's many strengths. Jon Hamm's Buddy, an agreeable man with a dark side that you don't want to awaken and his aptly named Darling (Gonzalez), a bubblegum popping sexpot, are an attractive and lethal pairing whilst Foxx's Bats is as unhinged as his moniker suggests. As Baby sits quietly, absorbed in the escape that music offers him, his presence amongst the outlaws is discordant. If the film hits any bum note, it's the underdevelopment of Debora, Baby's paramour. She is a character with little agency and although allusions to her past and backstory or references, they're never brought to fruition.
Baby Driver is many things. It's fast. It's furious. It's funny, and above all else, it's original and has proven itself to be the perfect antidote that the drowsy blockbuster summer movie season has needed.
EB
Cast: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jon Hamm, Jon Bernthal, Eiza Gonzalez, Jamie Foxx
The inception of Edgar Wright's Baby Driver began with a single song - Bellbottoms by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Fast forward a couple of decades since that lighting bolt idea and that song now features within the first few minutes of Wright's first solo effort as a writer/director and the result is a sheer, exhilarating delight.Vulnerable and talented getaway driver Baby (Ansel Elgort) serves as just that for Atlanta criminal boss Doc (Kevin Spacey). But the life of crime is not for him, and despite his adeptness behind the wheel, Baby cannot complete any job without listening to his favourite tunes to muffle his tinnitus (the consequence of a childhood accident). When he meets waitress Debora (Lily James), Baby finally envisions a life free of committing felonies, but Doc won't let him drive off into the sunset as easily as he hopes.
Edgar Wright has always been a stilted and highly ambitious film-maker as evidenced by all of his previous work, ranging from The World's End to Scott Pilgrim Vs the World. But now that he has a few tens of millions to add to the budget pot, Wright's expansive scope has afforded him the opportunity to widen his creative talents. After the film's getaway drive opener, Baby completes the traditional coffee run, a sequence that is captured in one glorious, continuous take. Collecting hot beverages is a commonplace activity, but with Wright at the helm, its presence in Baby Driver is entirely cinematic and highlights the painstaking artistry that the auteur strives for - and always successfully achieves. The car chases themselves, the film's piece de resistance, are a rip roaring good time. Remove the killer soundtrack that underscores the choreographed sequences and you've still got an excellent example of action direction. With the inclusion of the memorable tunes and their co-star status, they become an iconic and revolutionary piece of cinema.
Albeit a more serious film in comparison to the outright comedies of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Baby Driver still dishes out superb humour. Whilst introducing Baby to his latest cohort of criminals, Doc says of a particular member, "He puts the Asian in home invasion". Spacey's manipulative but often strangely paternal character is awarded some of the films best lines and it's utterly satisfying to see the two-time Academy Award winning actor take on a cinematic role worthy of his immense talent. Baby is Doc's prized getaway driver, intent on settling a debt he owes the kingpin. As a result, he has been marching to the beat of Doc's drum for years, scarcely being allowed to play from his own sheet music. We both fear and respect Doc as we're aware just how dangerous he can be when his desires are not fulfilled but his concern for Baby extends beyond flexing the young man's outstanding talents for his own financial gain.
Doc's band of merry criminals are overtly enigmatic in all of the ways that Baby is not and the roster of supporting character are one of the film's many strengths. Jon Hamm's Buddy, an agreeable man with a dark side that you don't want to awaken and his aptly named Darling (Gonzalez), a bubblegum popping sexpot, are an attractive and lethal pairing whilst Foxx's Bats is as unhinged as his moniker suggests. As Baby sits quietly, absorbed in the escape that music offers him, his presence amongst the outlaws is discordant. If the film hits any bum note, it's the underdevelopment of Debora, Baby's paramour. She is a character with little agency and although allusions to her past and backstory or references, they're never brought to fruition.
Baby Driver is many things. It's fast. It's furious. It's funny, and above all else, it's original and has proven itself to be the perfect antidote that the drowsy blockbuster summer movie season has needed.
EB
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