Baby Driver

Not too long ago, I was bemoaning to myself that there was a distinct lack of genuine, hardcore, good action movies these days. Ones that hit hard and fast and had an edge to them. Not the watered down PG-13 stuff and all the Superhero movies either. I had a craving for some good, old fashioned gun play and roaring engines. Screeching tires and intense car chases. Little did I know that Edgar Wright was driving to my rescue and delivering one of the coolest and most stylish action films I've seen in a long time. 

Baby (played by Ansel Elgort) is a highly skilled driver working for crime boss Doc (played by Kevin Spacey) as a wheel man for the daring heists Doc carefully plans. Baby also suffers from a case of tinnitus and listens to music on his iPod constantly to drown out the hum. He also records random samplings of audio around him and remixes it at home with synthesized music, creating all new songs. Dubbed Mozart in a Go Kart by Doc, Baby is an ace behind the wheel and it's attributed to the constant beats he hears through his headphones and laser focus. He works for Doc to pay off a debt he incurred when he boosted a car that belonged to Doc, filled with valuable goods Doc was unable to retrieve. Baby is a good hearted kid though and the violence incurred during these heists is starting to get to him. He wants out and to just drive away. This feeling only intensifies when he meets and starts to fall for Debora, a waitress at the local greasy spoon. He vocalizes his desire to just start driving west with her and never look back, something she is very receptive to. Before he can though, he's pulled into one last job, forced to work with the dodgy Buddy (played by Jon Hamm), Darling (played by Eiza Gonzalez), and the loose cannon Bats (played by Jamie Foxx).     

There is a lot to be impressed about with Baby Driver. The writing is fun with it's rat-a-tat-tat dialogue and a story that is not as predictable as one would think at first glance. Edgar Wright has always had a knack for subverting an audience's expectations and does it here as well, crafting a story with a few twists I did not see coming (and would not dare spoil here). Backing this up are two things the film will be known best for, I think. First, the action sequences are seriously impressive and stylish as hell. The car stunts were all done practically (none of that CGI over the top nonsense the Fast and Furious movies do) and they are stunning. The fact that everything was done for real just makes it that much more impressive. Then, Wright adds some style to it with a choice of bold colors, especially bright reds and royal blues just to make it that much more distinct. 

Then there is the soundtrack to the film. The songs are like another character in the film, masterfully synched with the action on screen. Remember that scene in Shaun of the Dead when Shaun, Liz, and Ed beat up a zombie with pool cues in sync with Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now"? That's this entire movie. From Baby dancing down the street to "Harlem Shuffle" by Bob & Earl and pausing to play air trumpet in front of a trumpet hanging in a music store window to gunshots syncing up to the beat of whichever song is playing, it is nothing short a filmmaking and editing wonder. Music also plays into the film itself with various songs becoming bonding points between Baby and various characters, "Debora" by T. Rex for Baby and Debora and "Brighton Rock" by Queen for a similar moment between Baby and Buddy. On the opposite side of the coin, the characters also at one point discuss jinx songs, such as "Knocking on Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan as songs that if they hear before a job will make them want to call it off. The film just celebrates music and how it can make us feel right from the get go as we see Baby rocking out in his car to "Bellbottoms" by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion is a moment of pure joy right before a spectacular opening car chase sequence.

This film manages to gather an impressive cast. Ansel Elgort is great as Baby, who is of two minds of his job as a wheelman. He hates being part of a criminal enterprise and it weighs on him. In many ways, he is a very sweet and innocent person, but the violence these heists he's part of incurs weighs heavily on him and he's finding it harder and harder to ignore it. But he also loves driving and showing off what he can do behind the wheel of a car, which is what ultimately keeps bringing him back. Kevin Spacey is reliably great as Doc and gives his part the hard nosed authority to keep his gang in line, but he's also having fun with the role. He also really let's Doc's soft spot for Baby shine through, which was a plot aspect I was not expecting. Jamie Foxx was great as Bats and genuinely intense in his scenes as the loose cannon member of the group not afraid to get his hands dirty. Jon Hamm and Eiza Gonzalez made a great pair as husband and wife criminals Buddy & Darling, while also setting up what a possible future might be for Baby and Debora if he kept going down the road of a life of crime and she joined him. 

Baby Driver is not quite like any other movie I've ever seen. Some of the pieces may seem somewhat familiar, but re-assembled in new and exciting ways, set to some fantastic, deep cut music thumping on the soundtrack and all working together in wondrous harmony. I loved every minute of this from beginning to the closing credits as I danced my way out of the theatre. And then sped my car all the way home.