Baby Driver opens up with one of the more impressive action sequences I have seen in cinema since Mad Max: Fury Road. From there on, you know exactly what you are getting into when the Edgar Wright-helmed picture begins! There are a small amount of directors in which all of their films thus far have been well-received critically, with the big ones being Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino. Ever since Shaun of the Dead was released in theaters back in 2004, many cinephiles around the world were fascinated with the style of filmmaking that he has showcased in each of his following projects. With fast-paced editing and outstanding comedic dialogue, Wright has proved himself as one of the best filmmakers in the industry. Each of those aspects are characters in their own respective ways and it is very rare for a filmmaker to pull that off like the way Wright does. He is one of my favorites and without any questions, there was a lot of hype surrounding his follow-up to The World's End.
Ansel Elgort stars as Baby, a young getaway driver who works for kingpin Doc (Kevin Spacey) in exchange for a better life. With Baby suffering from permanent tinnitus, he relies on a preferred soundtrack, to be the best in the world of getaway drivers. The premise is extremely basic and may put people off from catching out an original piece like Baby Driver. The sixth directorial effort from Wright is his most grounded to date, after providing films with more comedic undertones than Baby Driver, even though this was an extremely entertaining flick. I was really engrossed by the story of Baby and how he admired making mixtapes of conversations he has had with various people. At times this film was in the veins of a musical, with the exception of having any characters burst into song and it reminds me if Driveand Whiplash had a baby (pun intended). The comedy was sharp and well-balanced with a strong amount of heartfelt moments, as they came from the sequences involving Baby and his waitress love interest Debora (Lily James) that felt as genuine as romances in films of that genre. Each of the characters were fleshed out properly and I cared about each of them, including the antagonists. The dialogue was fantastic and there wasn't a point where I was shaking my head in disagreement with Wright's writing.
Something that Wright is also an expert with is the editing of each film he has helmed, whether it'd be each of the films of The Three Flavours Cornettotrilogy or Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. It is top-notch, quick-cut editing that is never hard to follow, which is something that cannot be said about most films containing quick-cut editing. I would love to see Baby Driver become the first Wright film to receive an Oscar nomination, especially with the editing done by Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss. I also have to commend cinematographer Bill Pope for shooting a lot of long takes, with there being an amazing long-tracking shot in the beginning when Baby goes around Atlanta to get coffee for Doc and his companions. This was shot on glorious 35mm film and it is always delightful when filmmakers decided to shoot on film instead of digital, as they go along with the old-school filmmaking trend. With Nolan's Dunkirk and Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi around the corner, it is awesome, as a filmmaker, to see them shooting in the right format instead of the wrong. Wright continues to be a genius with his choice of music and this soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a film in recent memory, as it could have taken my favorite of the decade surpassing Guardians of the Galaxy's.
The acting is remarkable, as Elgort surprisingly shining in the lead role of Baby, as he hasn't impressed me with much in the past. He definitely proves that he has strong acting chops here and for a character that is quieter than most in the film, I was really blown away. My favorite performance was from Jamie Foxx as impulsive gun-slinger Bats, who was incredibly narcissistic and vile, but in the best way possible and I also admired the supporting work from Spacey, James, Jon Hamm and Jon Bernthal. Wright is always strong with his actors and Baby Driver might be the best cast he has assembled. A shoutout should be given to Eiza González, who is a newcomer to the Hollywood spotlight and had really terrific chemistry with Hamm. In the end, each of the actors shine in their respective roles and I hope to see more from Elgort as a leading man when it's under the direction of someone who knows what they are doing when directing actors. There can be a possibility that good ol' Spielberg or Scorsese can work with the young The Fault in Our Stars-starring actor in the near future.
All in all, Baby Driver is a beautiful example of shutting your mind off for two hours and enjoying mindless entertainment, as it contains a strong story and enthralling characters. With action sequences that top ones we see in films nowadays and an outstanding pace, this is one of the year's best films and definitely one that can't be viewed only once. If you are a fan of the actors involved and action comedies, don't miss Baby Driver. It will follow the same route as The Nice Guys where it is well received critically, but not so much financially. Hopefully I am wrong and this does extremely well, since it has a popular group of actors and car chases, which is something that most enjoy nowadays! Wright's streak continues to be unbroken and with whatever he does next, the excitement will continue for sure.
