*caution, possible mild spoilers ahead*
I should probably preface this review by noting that I am not a mega fan of Edgar Wrights’ previous works. They’re fine films, but there are no biased opinions coming from me at the time of writing this review.
Baby Driver. Wow, what an experience.
The film follows Baby (Ansel Elgort); a get away driver who is working for Doc (Kevin Spacey) in order to pay off a debt owed to him. The film traverses through many challenges both in and out of his line of work.
Opening the movie, was one of the most breath taking car chase scenes ever put to the screen, and really sets the tone and high paced energy that carries throughout the entire film.
The cast is packed full of household names, with stars such as Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Jon Bernthal, and even “The Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s” Flea making up the ensemble cast.
As well as incredible action sequences, and it’s fair share of laughs, what really shines through for Baby Driver is the way that the Choreography and soundtrack work hand in hand. From the many musical cues initiated by the actors movements and gestures, to a sequence at the beginning of the film, where Baby goes to grab coffee for the team whilst dancing through the streets of Atlanta (keep an eye on the poles and walls in the background) – it is a seamless flow of masterful direction.
The soundtrack also needs a shoutout here. Similar to that of “Guardians on the Galaxy”, the soundtrack truely enhanced this film, aiding with the expression of emotion by the cast, and on a few occasions playing a key role in some extremely clever foreshadowing by Wright.
There is no such thing as perfection, but Baby Driver did give me a hard time pinpointing it’s flaws. There really wasn’t much about this film that I disliked. There were a few corny lines of dialogue scattered throughout, but if I had to be extremely picky and have one negative thing to say, it would be that the relationship between Baby and Deborah (Lily James) did appear to be a little bit unbelievable. Baby Driver seemed to only take place over a few weeks, and for the two characters to have fallen in love over that time, realistically, seems completely ridiculous However, Wright handled the characters, both in his script and through Direction, with such charm and care, that there was never a moment in which I felt that anything happened on screen just for the sake of story filler or progression.
TL;DR:
Baby Driver is an action packed ride from the first to the last frame. Through masterful Direction from Edgar Wright, and amazing performances all round – I hope this film gets as many Oscar nods as it deserves.
If “The Fault in Our Stars” didn’t put Elgort on the map, “Baby Driver” surely will.
9.5/10
Robbie Mitchell 