Baby Driver

After finishing up his Corenetto trilogy (the affectionate name for the trio of films directed by Wright starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost consisting of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End), and having a very public breakup with Marvel over his vision for Ant-Man, a lot of movie fans wondered what Wright's next step would be. Would he go back to his old collaborators? Perhaps he'd pull a Joss Whedon and end up directing in another cinematic universe. As it turns out, he quietly made a critically acclaimed action flick set to music called Baby Driver with a killer cast, an equally killer soundtrack, and enough hype to get a June release. So how does it compare to Wright's previous work?

The movie centers around the titular Baby, a young but incredibly talented wheelman for a local criminal with one noteworthy habit. He drowns out tinnitus from a childhood accident with a never-ending soundtrack. Despite his skill set, Baby is eager to leave the life and settle down with his newfound lady love Deborah after one last job. But as Baby will soon learn, leaving the underworld behind is a lot easier than getting in. Can he escape with Deborah before it's too late?

Wow. I'm coming in hot off seeing this movie and I've still got adrenaline pumping through my veins. Why? Because Baby Driver is an excellent popcorn flick that's right up my alley. On the surface, this is all stuff you've seen before. Fast-talking criminals that pull off daring heists thanks to  a young, and still somewhat innocent driver, who's looking to leave after "one last job" who happens to find love at the same time. Insert car chases, tense standoffs, shootouts, and crackling dialogue and you've got half of the criminal dramas of the nineties.

But the film's hook, the protagonist's never-ending soundtrack, makes all of this feel fresh, alive, and more fun than any movie of its ilk in years. Admittedly this element works really well for me since I am someone who constantly wears headphones, even to the grocery store, and moves in time to the music. Thus the idea of a driver who will literally pause momentarily to restart his chosen driving song is note-perfect in my book. Edgar Wright has said that the movie was mapped out, almost to second, based on music cues and that absurd attention to detail shows and pulls the audience into Baby's world. I won't spoil the song list either, but as a fellow with an affection for the iPod shuffle function, I love hearing a soundtrack with different genres, tones, and tempos that suit the scene.

The other reason it all works is because this movie is superbly produced and acted from top to bottom. The film's action is refreshingly practical with a big emphasis on semi-realistic action scenes and stunt work, especially during the extensive car chases. It's hard to do a ton of new stuff with practical car chases but this movie does an excellent job of avoiding repetition, creating new challenges, and delivering a new wrinkle to familiar tropes of the car chase movie genre.

Likewise, the script does a great job at hitting all of the familiar notes in the genre with Wright's signature crackling dialogue delivered by the talented cast. Ansel Elgort, known to most from The Fault in Our Stars, shines as Baby with minimal dialogue with the rest of cast clearly having a ball with their one note characters. Notable standouts include Kevin Spacey, doing his best fifties era gangster impression, Jaime Foxx going full-out insanity, and Jon Hamm delivering a hard intensity he's almost never tapped into on the big screen before. The performances are all deliciously melodramatic and fun.

For fans of Wright's earlier work, you will notice a departure tonally. Though Wright's previous films would be described as comedic versions of their respective genres (zombie, action, etc.), this film is meant to be pulpy melodrama. It's still funny, because Wright knows not to take things too seriously in a movie called Baby Driver and he's still a comedian at heart, but the driving force of this film is the danger, the music, and the action, not the laughs. It may disappoint some Cornetto trilogy fans, but as far as I was concerned it was new flavor from one of my favorite chefs.

The only critique I have is a notable lull in the action in the second act. I understand its purpose, but after so much action and music in the first forty to fifty minutes the drop off is very noticeable. I'm also certain people will point out that the characters aren't very well developed and there's not a lot of exposition aside from some words from Kevin Spacey and handful of flashbacks, but this movie isn't here to deliver deep characters. It's here to shamelessly entertain.

All in all, my gauge for this movie is my reaction after I left the theater. As soon as I got behind the wheel of my car I scrambled for my iPod put on some pump up music and I haven't turned it off since. Simple, quick, and undeniably shallow fun, Baby Driver is a heck of a ride. Go see it.