"Here's Your Killer Track" Baby Driver Review

Baby Driver

4/5

Written and Directed by Edgar Wright

Rated: R

           Edgar Wright's body of directorial work is a collection of creatively clever comedies, including the zombie thriller Shaun of the Dead, the video game based love story Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World and the pub crawl to end all pub crawls The World's End. After 13 years of writing and directing, it would be expected that Wright's recent film would be less creative or humorous than his other films. Good thing Wright continues to defy expectations. His recent film brings audiences a rare pulp piece full of gripping action, high octane romance and...musical chase scenes. Ladies and gentlemen strap yourselves in for Edgar wright's latest film, the fabulous Baby Driver.
           Wright's story is about the greatest getaway driver in all of Atlanta, Baby. More uncommon than his name are his driving skills. This kid can tear up tarmac with a surgeon's precision and a tap dancer's finesse. He tends to keep himself, though, as Baby is a quiet mouthed introvert who spends most of his time listening to his iPod. It's partly for relaxation and partly therapeutic, as Baby has Tinnitus, the hearing of a sound when no sound is present, and he drowns out the hum on his drum with his favorite killer tracks. There's no one on the streets quite like Baby, so once he puts his life of crime behind him, it's no wonder a local waitress falls in love with him, his foster father wants him to make an honest living with his driving talents and his old crime boss calls him back in for one more ride.
           Baby Driver's cast of characters is a remarkable mix of good guys, bad guys, friends and foes. Baby is played excellently by Ansel Elgort who spent his time preparing for the role driving stunt cars and practicing his well timed choreography. All of his work pays off, as Elgort is on beat with his line delivery, easy moving on his feet, free driving behind the wheel and soul searching enough that he's earned a Golden Globe nomination. Playing along side Elgort is his love interests Debora, played captivatingly well by the starry eyed Lilly James, and his no funny games boss Doc, played earnestly well by a straight faced Kevin Spacey. Two of the biggest criminals on Doc's team are Darling, played by a sultry and sinister Eiza Gonzalez, and her husband Buddy, played by a composed and carnivorous Jon Hamm. The weakest cast member and most annoying character in Baby Driver is Bats, a madcap mouth breather played by an offbeat and tumultuous Jamie Foxx. Whether his performance was intended to break up this film's rhythm or Foxx chose not to say his lines on beat, it does not change the fact that scenes featuring him seem to either unnecessarily slow down or speed up Baby Driver's pacing. As Baby Driver's rhythm is integral to the film, it is important for every character to be on the beat.
           Baby Driver's most unique and engaging element is its connection with music and rhythm. From coffee runs to car chases every scene is meticulously synced to the current track playing on Baby's iPod. Scenes are cut according to a song's metre, their speed and intensity are determined by the music's tempo and a scene's light footed air or heavy hearted thunder is dependent on the music's feeling and mood. Surprisingly the music's genre does not determine a scene's feel. A Latin beat marks the tempo for a shoot out, a slow building piano riff signifies oncoming chaos and a 70's soul love song leads into an unavoidable confrontation and impendent death. Baby Driver's soundtrack consists of over 30 different songs from various artists. Each track was hand picked by Wright. While Wright was working on Baby Driver he asked his crew to think of the film as less of an action film and more of a musical. This is illustrated through his character's choreography. Bad guy's walk in 4/4 time, good guys flow across the floor and cars pirouette in perfect time. It's more than enough to make some audiences' jaws drop, others to sing along if they know the words and still others to stand up and applaud for Wright's maestroly constructed and cleverly written action comedy romance, Baby Driver.

Verdict: Edgar Wright's Baby Driver is a unique and well orchestrated action film, comedic musical and romantic thrill ride that will impress and engage Wright's fans and newcomers.