Baby Driver
Get
ready, set, and drive like a "Baby Bat" out of hell to your local
theater to see British Director Edgar Wright’s (i.e. "Shaun of the Dead' )
campy, fun, smart, slick, awesome MTV-ish soundtrack, cops and robbers action
thriller with the odd marquee title “Baby Driver”.
PLOT: Taking place in Atlanta, we find a
talented, young getaway driver named “Baby” (Ansel Elgort i.e. The Fault in Our
Stars) who relies on the upbeat tempo of his personal soundtracks that he
constantly listens to, mostly as a mechanism to being the best in the game;
which is driving his car in the most crazy and imaginative of ways from the
clutches of pursuing police. However, one day while waiting in a diner for his
next assignment, he meets the girl of his dreams named Debora, a young waitress
working there (Lilly James). Baby realizes for the very first time there is a
chance to ditch this criminal life and make a clean getaway. But after being
coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey), he must face the “music”
(so to speak) when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom.
REVIEW: With a running time of 1:13, the thing
that first jumps out about “Baby Driver” is FINALLY, someone has developed a
completely inventive and original film for you to watch. Director Wright works
his movie each step of the way like a classical conductor working his baton
with an array of sweeping and gyrating motions that seem to command his
eclectic cast to twist, jump, skip, hop and dance across the screen to his
endless array of popular tunes.
Wright
also to his credit starts out his "Baby" in the first half with a
rather light whimsical touch that slowly and effectively evolves into a more
consequentially story line that felt real in the moment and yet keeps one foot
on the cinematic accelerator of always trying to be unpredictable, hilarious,
witty, romantic and an energetically dangerous to the very end.
"Baby
Driver" has a bit of wildness and an elegance working for itself; a bit
cool and a sinister to move its story; a touch of classical and refine
qualities to round out its plot. But the real strength of this film rest
largely on the decision made to select the array of fine supporting cast
members. Starting with 2 time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey who plays “Doc” who is
the ever present menacing boss of the gang and who also has the best one liners
in the film. Emmy Winner Jon Hamm (aka Don Draper from Mad Men) and his partner
Eiza Gonzalez who play “Buddy and Darling” work effectively together bringing
their sleazy levity cool to the screen. Jon Berntahl (formerly Shane Walsh from
The Walking Dead) plays another "not so level headed" bank robber
in Doc's crew. And finally Oscar winner Jamie Foxx who plays a street smart,
hard-nosed as hell, take no prisoners BS from anyone career thief named “Bats”.
"Baby
Driver" can claim its rightful place on the exalted mantel of being one of
the most dynamic films you will ever see, as Wright meticulously crafts and
executed each scene around an endless framework of music that uniquely syncs up
with the cast and visual motion of the film itself. If there is one criticism
is sometimes I think there was a bit too much music. BUT WHY SPOIL MY REVIEW
WITH MORE DETAILS; I
dare not say a single word more. Just go see “Baby Driver and go with the
musical high speed flow of the story.
Now, of course the whole plot is totally
preposterous, sometimes a bit silly and on occasion millennially "short attention span" light for anyone to ever contemplate having any real seriousness about it. But the overall reason the whole film does works, in spite of its minor flaws, is it's just plain campy fun to
watch every frame.
"Baby
Driver" is thrilling entertainment. The FIRST MUST SEE FILM FOR
2017 that lives up to its hype. You will not see any film like this
all year.
4.00 Stars
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