Disclaimer: this review was written while listening to the Baby Driver soundtrack, which you should probably listen to while you read this review.
Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver doesn’t waste time getting to the exhilarating action scenes perfectly timed to the diegetic soundtrack blasting from our hero, Baby’s iPod. The scene is set: Atlanta, 2017. A young man sits behind the wheel of an unassuming commuter sedan, listening to music. His companions exit the car, pull on bandanas and enter the bank across the street, shotguns and semi-automatics in hand. The focus remains on Baby as he sings along to The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion classic Bellbottoms. Bank alarm, gun shots and robbers’ movements are perfectly timed with the song – the whole scene playing out like a music video. As the film progresses it’s clear that the masterful mashup of story and song isn’t just confined to the first scene; the entire film is a perfectly orchestrated ode to the great American film soundtrack, in a great American car chase movie from a great British writer-director.
Despite his line of work, Baby is polite, bashful and sincere. Wright and his lead, Ansel Elgort, are quick to establish that Baby is a good guy who is caught in a web of troubles because of one particular vice: joy riding. After boosting the wrong car in his youth, Baby became indebted to Kevin Spacey’s Doc, a criminal mastermind who orchestrates heists for the city’s most notorious criminals. The only constant in any of Doc’s plans is the getaway driver, a kid with tinnitus and an eclectic taste in music.
Baby is the only survivor of a car crash that killed his parents, and has faced many sorrows in his young life. Luckily, he was raised by a caring foster father Joe (CJ Jones), who like Baby suffers from hearing impairment. The two share a loving father-son relationship, and the day-to-day realities of hearing loss are presented as simple fact in their home, not a gimmick, a punch line or plot device. But that’s not to say this film is lacking in conventional plot devices. Like any classic, the getaway driver with a heart of gold can only leave the biz with the love and support of a damsel in distress – for Baby it’s a diner waitress with a name worthy of many songs, Debora (Lily James). Of course she is not in any distress until she comes in contact with Baby and his criminal colleagues.
Wright basks in an embarrassment of riches when it comes to his supporting cast. Jon Hamm and Eiza Gonzalez play Buddy and Darling, a loved-up duo who take Baby under their wing. Jon Bernthal appears as Griff, a trigger happy thief. Red Hot Chilli Peppers bassist Flea takes on the role of No Nose Eddie (who, you guessed it, doesn’t have a nose) who plays second fiddle to Jamie Foxx’s Bats, a madman with an itch to steal, kill and cause mayhem.
The opening scene not only sets up the jukebox film style but also establishes it as a fun film with heart, cars, and most of all action. Doc’s fast-talking exposition is a trademark of Wright’s, who is known for dialogue driven films, but Doc’s conversations are usually one-sided. He’s doing all the talking because Baby is more interested in the music. And to be honest, so was I. Don’t get me wrong, high octane, summer blockbusters with hot men in cars are my proverbial jam and Baby Driver rises above any in recent memory. It’s witty, well paced and exciting to watch, but my biggest take away was the music and how meticulously it was incorporated into every aspect of this film. Edgar Wright spent 22 years developing this script and he used his time wisely. It was well worth the wait.
Tequila!
Reviewed by Vithiya Murugadas.
