It has been some time since we got a new film from
director Edgar Wright, who has made some fan favorite genre films over the last
decade or 2. After leaving the
production of Marvel’s Ant-Man, there
was a curiosity as to what he would do next that would allow him full creative
control over production and be uniquely different from his previous work. This leads us to his latest heist romance
action film Baby Driver, that is not
only a new film from Edgar Wright but a different take on the crime genre in
films. With a star studded and star
turning cast being used to their fullest potential, some truly inspired action
set pieces with precise choreography, and a killer soundtrack to go with it, this
is a rare case where the film succeeds in providing the thrilling entertainment
that seems to be rarely satisfying in today’s action cinema landscape. Let’s put on a mixtape and focus our hearing
on what makes this film distinctive from the summer release of action films.
We follow a getaway driver named Baby (Ansel Elgort) who
suffers tinnitus from a car accident that claimed his parents’ lives and
injured him to the point of damaging his ears.
The only way he can drown out the ringing is to listen to a plethora of
songs and music that reflect his emotions and push him to drive harder and
faster on a job. Unfortunately, he owes
money to his benefactor/heist planner Doc (Kevin Spacy), who also hires random
criminals for each gig that feature a crazed yet in love couple Buddy (Jon
Hamm) and Darling (Eiza González) as well as a sociopathic killer Bats (Jamie
Foxx). This is Baby’s life in a nutshell
with him saving up to go away from his life of crime until he meets a cute yet
fateful soulmate waitress through music named Debora (Lily James) that makes
him appreciate something more than just driving. However, Baby must confront the duality of
his life and find a way out to be with the girl of his dream and survive
working with some truly larger than life criminals that may not be as friendly
as they seem.
This is a simple crime story of the hero wanting a
better place in life and believing that going through hell and back is the way
to do it. Yet, that simplicity is made
more compelling with the wonderfully crafted and developed characters at work
here starting with Baby and to the memorable yet funny supporting cast of
characters that make this standout from the pack of films within this
genre. Each characters’ motivations and
arc are well thought out by using skillful direction as well as the music used
to express the journey of the character through each story moment and set
piece. Every movement and action from
the characters have a purpose to it and make sense in reaction to each other,
which is why it is easy to love every one of these characters despite the
playful and confrontational moments with each other. It does the traditional crime story well here
with its truly defined characters and their arcs with another aspect to this
film that works as well.
The romantic element of the film is just as important
as the crime component as it ties into the struggles of Baby wanting to get out
but to be free from himself. The
chemistry between James and Elgort is very sweet and properly adorable to watch
without it either feeling flat or annoying to watch, compliments to the
fantastic performances and direction at work here. It stands to say that the dialogue is razor
sharp with references, snappy exchanges, and truly dark humorous moments are
just as exciting and tense to watch as the masterfully staged car chases/action
set pieces themselves. The only
criticism worth giving is that it may fall into some of the genre troupes from
time to time as well as some underdeveloped characters/cameos that do not factor
into the story as much as the advertisement or film makes it out to be but it
rises above it with the well put together script as well as the amazing
direction at work here. This story hits
the accelerator the moment it starts and it keeps going on to be a great film
from start to finish.
Let’s get to the main performers themselves as they
deserve a ton of credit for making an already tightly constructed script feel
alive with these actors as these characters.
Let’s give some deserve attention to Ansel Elgort as Baby, who is
expertly energetic and can exude a sense of confidence through his
performance. He is given enough to
convene the changes the character goes through with his character arc, allowing
him to hold his own as the protagonist.
His chemistry with Lily James is magnetic and endearing which gives the
film its emotional core as Baby confronts his life as a criminal in excitingly
explosive, brutal ways. This is a star
turning role for Elgort that proves his ability to be a compelling lead with
dialogue that drives his character forward and never deviates unexpectedly.
The supporting cast is top notch as well with larger
than life characters with great humorous moments as well as being fleshed out
characters that relate to Baby’s journey in the film. With Lily James as Debora, she really is
charming with her southern accent as well as exuding the sweet qualities of the
character to connect with Baby. Jamie
Foxx as Bat really provides the right amount of sociopathic tendency and
violent streak with a ton of darkly humor to his character that makes him
standout. Kevin Spacy is also in fine
form with his stern yet intimidating demeanor that nets a few funny/cool
moments from him. Eiza González as
Darling also has at least one or two cool moments but does feel like the one
crew member that gets shortchanged in screen time and development. Most of the cast is fantastic especially with
one who deserves his own section.
The main standout of the supporting is Jon Hamm as
Buddy, who goes through the most change from minor, helpful character to one of
the most empathetic, terrifying villains seen in an action film. This is one of the films greatest strengths displayed
in showing the parallels of each character to Baby especially when Buddy shifts
into the villain arc near the end. It is truly
well-thought out and works so well because of Jon Hamm just continues to
exhibit how talented and cool he is in a film.
He truly brings the film to an end on a thrilling note and works well
from an ally to enemy with appropriate and understandable motivation for his
shift in character. This just goes to
show that with a truly fleshed out script, actors with a great director can do
wonders and makes these characters come to life.
It’s time to get to the aspects of the film where it
really shines, its action sequences, editing/sound design, and the killer
soundtrack on display. Let’s get to the
action itself and it does deliver with style from the moment it opens to the
intense finale, each movement feels tightly constructed and executed with
precision that is rare to see in action cinema.
Many of the action set pieces are choreographed down to the tee and it
features some of the cooler chases seen on film. It gets violent and brutal when it needs to
be, building upon the work done in the previous film from Wright Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World to exciting
new heights. It is wondrous to watch the
hard work of the stunt crews and choreographer on display with the stellar
action sequences in this film.
We need to
really get into where this film truly excels and deserves accolades in, it’s the
astonishing use of editing and sound design throughout this film. Unlike with most action films, the use of
quick cuts and tracking shots are entwined with the choreography of the scene
as well as the timing of the music throughout most of the film. The crew members behind this edit are
Jonathan Amos &Paul Machliss, who both do a fantastic job putting together
the scenes as well as timing it beautifully to the sound design. It is not
obnoxiously blinding in its cuts like most of action cinema these days by
giving the scenes the proper energy and rhythm needed for each action set piece
in this film with the highlights all happening near the end of the film. This is truly an astoundingly great effort
from these editors to really make the action standout and watchable without
having to rely too much on coverage or fast editing sensibilities that have
diminished the power of action cinema for some time now.
Now, it is time to give some love to the sound
department for this film as they along with the music supervisors and composer
are the real stars behind the scenes that make what’s on the screen pop
out. Down below are all the people
credited for the sound editing for this film and worth noting as their efforts
should not go unnoticed. The power of
sound to the image is in full force here, edited in a musical dance to the
actions on screen as well as conveying the beats of the gun shots, kills, and
movement in each action sequences. It
really brought this viewer back to the magical qualities of film and the power
it can instill to those that feel it in ways that may allude others. This is truly one of the most inventively
sound driven films and kudos given to the men and women that worked behind the
scenes for this.
Lastly, the soundtrack itself and it is just as
compelling as well as entertainingly fun to see it work in tandem with the
story in surprisingly clever ways. Each
emotional moment and character development is tied to the music selected in
this film with a healthy mix of songs from the 70’s to present here with a mix
of bands/singers like REM, Barry White, Queen, Brenda Holloway, The Detroit
Emeralds, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Commodores, and a slew of other great, underrated
musicians at work here. Every song
drives the themes of the film, character arcs and development, and the plot
along to its destination with each song feeling appropriate to the scenes. There is even one fantastically cool yet
violent chase/shootout set to the beats of the song “Hocus Pocus” by Focus and
it really is a fine example of editing, direction, and scriptwriting all working
in tandem to each other to create a memorable scene in film history. Look up the bands/singers for this film and
give them a listen, this is a killer soundtrack that is just as much of a
character as the story and the cast themselves.
What else can be written about how absolutely
refreshing and satisfyingly great this film is other than knowing the purpose
behind the title itself Baby Driver. It was expressed in a Q&A session
recently about the naming of the film related to a Simon and Garfunkel song of
the same title as well as book ending the film on a resounding final note. Baby
Driver is a true throwback to classic crime cinema with an exuberantly
youthful energy and tone to the story and characters that is rare to see in
cinema today. It mixes the classic crime
story with the teen romance/coming of age tale that feels genuine and easy to
love from the moment the film begins and ends.
This is quite the resurfacing for a fan favorite, genre experienced
director like Edgar Wright and this viewer can only hope that we will see more
of this kind of work soon.
Score: ***** out of *****
Baby
Driver is one of the most unique action/teen romance films
to come out for cinema in a long while that not only subverts expectations but
plays with them through skillful direction and a tightly constructed script on
hand here. This is made possible by the
stellar cast all around from the breakout lead of Ansel Elgort along with the
charming Lily James and the funny, memorable supporting cast stealing the show
every step of the way from Kevin Spacey to Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, and Eiza González. The top notch technical crew from the
astounding gun/car choreographers at work here along with the stellar sound
design that makes it standout from most of action cinema, is firing on all
cylinders and even builds upon what other films have done with sound
design. The quality, killer soundtrack
is fantastic and a compelling character in of itself that drives the
characters, action, and story forward in surprising ways. This is one chase film that you should catch
in cinema while you can and support in the upcoming tsunami of summer
blockbuster films within July!
