Ever since he first made a name for himself in 1999 by directing the unfortunately short-lived but ultimately cult classic TV series Spaced, Edgar Wright has proven to be one of the most electrifying directors in the film industry. After Spaced ended in 2001, Wright and lead/writer Simon Pegg then went on to develop a full-blown trilogy of comedy films. While the three films (2004’s Shaun of the Dead, 2007’s Hot Fuzz, and 2013’s The World’s End) only share cosmetic similarities with each other, this collection of a zombie rom-com, a police-based action extravaganza, and a sci-fi pub crawl adventure, respectively, retroactively became known as the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy. This was due to the consistent appearance of Cornetto ice cream in each of the three films, with each flavor featured tying directly into the main theme of its respective film. In other words, this simple running gag ended up becoming a homage to the famous Three Colours trilogy directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski, which also based itself around themes and a color scheme that alluded to each theme. Nevertheless, the Cornetto films have gone on to become some of the most beloved comedies in recent years, establishing Wright as a fan-favorite director in the film fan community. And now, he’s back with his first film since his tumultuous departure from Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man, Baby Driver. The film was influenced by a music video that Wright had directed for the band Mint Royale back in 2003 for their track Blue Song. Said music video focused on a musically-tuned getaway driver for a gang of bank robbers. More than a decade later, Wright brings this idea to life again, this time on the big-screen, in a highly entertaining and musically-driven crime thriller.
In the city of Atlanta, a young man named Baby (Ansel Elgort) works as a getaway driver for local kingpin Doc (Kevin Spacey). Due to an accident that he was in where his parents were killed in a car crash, Baby suffers from permanent tinnitus and often listens to music to drown out the constant humming in his ears. And while most would assume that wearing headphones and listening to music would make him a terrible driver, it ends up being the total opposite situation in Baby’s case as it allows him to have greater focus behind the wheel. Thus, he’s become Doc’s ‘lucky charm’ over the years thanks to his involvement in numerous successful heists. However, after he manages to settle all his debts with Doc, Baby intends on getting out of the crime business for good so that he can head out on the road, a passion of his that’s reinvigorated when he meets a nice young woman named Debora (Lily James) who shares a similar kind of dream. However, as Baby soon finds out, just because he settled things with Doc financially doesn’t mean that the latter will just allow him to walk away. Thus, Baby ultimately finds himself being forced back into the criminal lifestyle as he is paired with scandalous couple Buddy (Jon Hamm) and Darling (Eiza González) and impulsive gunman Bats (Jamie Foxx) on Doc’s newest planned heist; robbing a post office. But amidst all the chaos that ensues from this, Baby once again attempts to get out of the business for good so that he and his loved ones won’t be harmed any further.
There are two primary things that you’ll get out of watching Baby Driver. The first is a kick-ass soundtrack, which Baby listens to 24/7 on his various iPods. With classic tunes like ‘Brighton Rock’ by Queen and ‘Never, Never Gonna Give You Up’ by Barry White, this film is full of great songs. But the real kicker to it all is that many of them are tuned perfectly with the film’s action sequences, including a shoot-out that’s set in perfect rhythm to ‘Tequila’ by The Champs (though, in this instance, it’s a cover by The Button Down Brass). Thus, this is easily one of the most musically-driven films (no pun intended) that I’ve ever seen in my life, even more so than the Guardians of the Galaxy films. The other big thing about this film, as alluded to earlier, is its action sequences, especially its many car chases. All the car chases in this film were done practically, and they are all quite impressive and well-shot. And it’s all thanks to the always terrific direction from Edgar Wright. He truly is a genius when it comes to assembling sequences and then blending them together seamlessly through editing, while also utilizing all sorts of directorial tricks to create some truly creative (and stylish) on-screen imagery. And even though this is admittedly a more traditional story compared to Wright’s other films, he still manages to craft some genuinely suspenseful moments in the film’s second half, thanks in part to Steven Price’s foreboding score which begins to come into play during this section of the film.
Ansel Elgort immediately establishes himself as a likable main protagonist in the role of Baby. Right out the gate, it’s shown that while Baby has been involved in the world of crime for many years, he’s ultimately just an innocent kid working alongside a bunch of crooks, hence why he doesn’t spend much time conversing with his colleagues save for Doc. Thus, he fully succeeds at being a sympathetic lead to root for, and while his main love interest, Debora, is admittedly just there for the ride most of the time, Elgort does have excellent chemistry with Lily James. Meanwhile, over in the ‘criminal underworld’, Kevin Spacey is, well, Kevin Spacey but still just as memorable as always in the role of Doc, who proves to have somewhat of a ‘father-son’ relationship with Baby given their history together. And just like any Edgar Wright project, this film has its fair share of scene-stealing supporting characters. Jon Hamm is both charismatic and sinister in the role of Buddy, and he is paired excellently with general newcomer Eiza González, who shines in a breakout role as his loving partner, Darling. And then there’s Jamie Foxx, who’s full-on crazy but still completely engaging in the role of the craziest member of the gang, Bats. These characters work extremely well off each other, providing excellent backing to Wright’s trademark snappy dialogue. For the record, this isn’t a comedy like Wright’s other films but there are still plenty of humorous moments throughout this film.
Well, it’s safe to say that Edgar Wright’s got another smash hit on his hands with Baby Driver. With thrilling car chase sequences, an excellent ensemble cast, and a kick-ass soundtrack that’s tuned perfectly to everything that happens on screen, Baby Driver proves to be yet another highly entertaining entry in Wright’s steadily growing filmography. Now, of course, as I alluded to earlier, this was Wright’s first big project after his rather unceremonious departure from Ant-Man back in 2014. And as I’ve also noted before, I believe that it’s truly for the best that Wright decided to work on a project like this, where he could have full creative control over the final product, instead of one where he’d have to work under the restrictions of Marvel’s controversial (but thankfully now disbanded) Creative Committee. On that note, yes, this is very much an original film in a summer season full of sequels, remakes, reboots, etc. Thus, if you’re someone who leans more towards these kinds of films, then I’m certain that you’re going to love this film. As for me, I’m not one of those people (Don’t get me wrong, I like watching original films as much as the next person but that doesn’t mean that they’re the only films I’ll watch because I know that nothing is truly ‘original’ anymore; even Edgar Wright has admitted that this story was influenced by films like Point Break and Reservoir Dogs) but I do know a great film when I see one, and this is one of those films. And who better to bring us this electrifying thrill-ride than the guy who brought us a romantic comedy set in a zombie apocalypse and a buddy flick/pub crawl adventure built around an alien invasion?
Rating: 5/5!
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