Cert: 15 Runtime: 113 mins Director: Edgar Wright Cast: Ansel Elgort, Lily James, Jon Hamm, Eiza Gonzalez, Jamie Foxx and Kevin Spacey
The moment you catch feelings is the moment you catch a bullet
Edgar Wright is a man that has continued to impress me, from Spaced to Shaun of the Dead and so on this guy makes films I adore. What could Edgar Wright make that will look impressive? Oh yeah a car movie in the shape of a music video! Since the trailers for Baby Driver the world was sold. Even though the release date was pushed forward there was no cause for concern! Since SXSW it has had nothing but praise from everyone. So what is Baby Driver about? A talented, young getaway driver Baby (Ansel Elgort) relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. When he meets the girl of his dreams Deborah (Lily James), Baby sees a chance to ditch his criminal life and make a clean getaway. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss Doc (Kevin Spacey), he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom.
Baby Driver is the breath of fresh air that we need right now! The opening sequence is an incredible display of excellence in writing, directing, and technical elements. The opening sequence is jaw-dropping. The key of the scene lies in the ability for Wright to flabbergast us without leaving us to overwhelmed or purely exhausted. The scene is perfect, just as good as the opening sequence of Inglorious Basterds. It’s a real world setter and glues you to the screen, and continues to keep it up there for the whole duration of the film. Just like the skill and pace of Baby’s driving, the pacing of the film is exquisitely handled! Baby Driver has incredible cinematography, sound design and editing. It works so well in the world of fast cars and heists. But what makes it different to other of the same genre it has heart and soul. Wright’s dismissal from Ant-Man is a blessing in all honesty, because Baby Driver is that good. This is some top notch work from him, it’s his style and technic make Baby Driver a true triumph for him. The seeming of the music and the scenes are pure magic! It’s like a giant music video, so much rhythm and oomph. The script works so well with the soundtrack, Wright really has set the bar high. Such a unique film for this current period of dullness in generic cinema!
Ansel Elgort has now set himself as a new leading man. It’s Tom Cruise ‘Risky Business’ kind of thing! He’s funny, he’s smart, he’s cool, he’s likeable; he’s a spectacular character! Lily James is great and I really believed their relationship, it felt very natural. Jamie Foxx an actor I enjoy watching, I loathed him in a good way. He played the Dick very well. Kevin Spacey keeps the ship steady and commands each of his scenes, he’s the spine of Baby Driver. Jon Hamm does a great job here too, normally as a secondary character he shouldn’t have much depth but Wright really provides a nourishment of story for him. What Wright does well too is that there isn’t a real villain here, you have to choose who the evil is? Baby Driver has an energy that is unparalleled by any recent film, and that’s because both the major and minor components work together like a well-oiled machine. This is what a Summer movie should be!