Baby Driver (2017)

Baby Driver (2017)

2017 R 113 Minutes

Action | Crime | Thriller

After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.

Overall Rating

9 / 10
Verdict: Great

User Review

  • Baby Driver is a visceral audio experience that will enthral all who watch it. I've not seen a film quite like this, where the soundtrack isn't just there for the sake of preventing silence...it's actually the main gimmick. Our main character, Baby, has tinnitus and in order to drown out the ringing noise he plays music from his iPods (yes, he has more than one...for all those different moods). We hear everything through him, so when he plays a song all of the action that is on screen is to the beat of the music. Holy yes it is so satisfying to watch!! The intro car chase and the casual walk to the coffee shop really utilises this to its full potential and was so innovating and refreshing. Edgar Wright has yet again conceived what he does best: an entertaining film. He has yet to create a bad film, although I will say this is his weakest. His style, yet again, is full of visual flair with plenty of one long shots. His editing style is impeccable, it's rapid succession...car chase, love story, car chase, love story, car chase. Bam bam bam, it's like clicking your fingers to the killer soundtrack that this film provides. Therein also lies the problem, the story and structure is just too uninspired. We've seen it all before, it's just masked by the musicality. That's not to say the film is bad, far from it, I just couldn't fully get myself immersed. Originally I was thinking Ansel Elgort was miscast, but straight away he proved me wrong. He had charm and a small trace of naivety that made him likeable. The rest of the cast were great: Jon Hamm was suave, Jamie Foxx was slimy and Kevin Spacey was formidable. The chemistry between Elgort and Lily James was tentative and I could really believe their relationship. And that is where our main theme is, love. Baby soon finds that he will do anything for the girl he loves, Jon Hamm does the same for his wife...although slightly more extreme. Love conquers all after all. So yes, I loved Baby Driver. Entertaining, enthralling and ecstatically full of beat although the structure and story is repetitive.