Baby Driver (2017) Movie Review

Official Baby Driver Poster

Ingeniously created from scratch by Edgar Wright (he was credited as both writer and director), Baby Driver is nonstop fun, from start to finish. The movie is fueled by some very interesting song choices, making the film a music driven one. Baby, played by Ansel Elgort, is our main character and he is partially deaf. Troubled by his past, Baby struggles in his present and every action he takes in this motion picture is with a clear objective in mind: to improve his future.   He is the best getaway driver ever conceived (music and sunglasses are crucial to his performance) and pulls unbelievable car stunts, while working for some shady figures.

Still of Ansel Elgort, Jamie Foxx, Eiza González and Jon Hamm in Baby Driver

The movie features a couple of heist scenes, followed by high octane driving with tire-burning drifts along the way. Seriously, the car chase sequences are some of the best ever put on film; it just plays so smoothly, with no quick cuts and the audience can actually understand what is going on. The action scenes were achieved practically, with little to no CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), thus creating a seamless ride and adding a sense of authenticity to it. The camera work is simply phenomenal and you can instantly identify Baby Driver as one of Edgar’s films; it has his style of filmmaking splattered all over it! The way music is blended with the world, synchronizing every character’s movements with the fast track beats with immense precision, is staggering. The dialogue is full of witty exchanges and entertaining lines.

 Behind the scenes still of director Edgar Wright explaining the shot to Jamie Foxx and Kevin Spacey

The characters are all fleshed out, complex individuals with emotional layers. Their motivations are clear and you feel the tension building up, as we progress through the film (Baby Driver is an extremely fast paced movie). Kevin Spacey commands every scene he is in, with his strong screen presence and Jamie Foxx was a pleasant surprise in his sly gangster type of role. Also worthy of mention is Jon Hamm, who made the movie feel more personal (no need to enter spoiler territory).
For some, this might be a classic case of style over substance but I see it in another way; style is what makes a film stand out and what helps to differentiate the movie in question from others in the same genre. Besides, there is plenty of substance in this one for the audience to chew on (even if the narrative is tight). Baby Driver is bold, stylish, irreverent and slick, all at the same time.

After having thought about it, I rate Baby Driver with an A-. What about you? Have you seen Edgar Wright's latest film? What is your opinion? Feel free to jump into the comments' section Down below and share your thoughts.