Though it teeters on the edge of loving its style far more than its substance, Edgar Wright's exhilarating Baby Driver is a film that takes the getaway driver/crime story and turns it on its ear. Almost Literally. Through the use of a near constant, 30-plus song soundtrack that keeps the music pulsing and shifting gears like the transmissions our titular character pushes to the limits in all the cars he commandeers and drives in and around a busy few weeks in Atlanta.
Known as Baby, our soft-cheeked protagonist is played by Ansel Elgort, quietly exuding a simmering confidence as the #1 choice as getaway driver for Doc (Kevin Spacey), a ringleader of numerous heists and robberies in the city. Doc never uses the same team twice and Baby is constantly having to reintroduce himself to the ragtag crew Doc assembles. He is quirky - ear buds are a constant, as are a handful of classic iPods, customized for any number of situations, and he always hides his eyes behind dark sunglasses. Soft-spoken, no one really quite knows what to make of Baby, and he …show more content…
It's a crime saga, an action movie, through music and tone we have a hipster-endorsed alternative to the various cinematic universes we have to sort through, and it's a love story. Because as quiet and reserved as Baby can be, he is wrestling with a lot behind those sunglasses, and eventually tattoos his heart squarely upon his sleeve.
Wright's film is populated with a near-constant mix of old-school R&B, spirited British punk, and a mixtape full of obscure hip-hop and deep album cuts that, at times, are syncopated to the visuals and scenes they songs are featured in. In other moments, the lyrics and beat are cleverly woven into the action depicted on screen. From an aural standpoint, Baby Driver is a joy to "hear" - the music, the sound design, and the overall atmosphere Wright creates, a liberating, even breathtaking experience in certain
Known as Baby, our soft-cheeked protagonist is played by Ansel Elgort, quietly exuding a simmering confidence as the #1 choice as getaway driver for Doc (Kevin Spacey), a ringleader of numerous heists and robberies in the city. Doc never uses the same team twice and Baby is constantly having to reintroduce himself to the ragtag crew Doc assembles. He is quirky - ear buds are a constant, as are a handful of classic iPods, customized for any number of situations, and he always hides his eyes behind dark sunglasses. Soft-spoken, no one really quite knows what to make of Baby, and he …show more content…
It's a crime saga, an action movie, through music and tone we have a hipster-endorsed alternative to the various cinematic universes we have to sort through, and it's a love story. Because as quiet and reserved as Baby can be, he is wrestling with a lot behind those sunglasses, and eventually tattoos his heart squarely upon his sleeve.
Wright's film is populated with a near-constant mix of old-school R&B, spirited British punk, and a mixtape full of obscure hip-hop and deep album cuts that, at times, are syncopated to the visuals and scenes they songs are featured in. In other moments, the lyrics and beat are cleverly woven into the action depicted on screen. From an aural standpoint, Baby Driver is a joy to "hear" - the music, the sound design, and the overall atmosphere Wright creates, a liberating, even breathtaking experience in certain