'Baby Driver' Rocks!

Edgar Wright is one the most brilliant filmmakers working today, displaying excellent creative vision and attention to detail in creating stylish, clever, wonderfully-conceptualized, delightfully-told, genre-celebrating films like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy (i.e. Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End).  And, now, I think his latest opus, Baby Driver, deserves to be mentioned among that special lot.

The movie revolves around Baby (Ansel Elgort), an eccentric young man who is constantly listening to music in order to block out the perpetual buzzing in his ears that had been left by a childhood car accident.  In order to pay off his debt to a criminal mastermind named Doc (Kevin Spacey), Baby performs the role of getaway driver – something he’s excellent at – for the revolving crews of bank robbers (Jon Hamm, Eiza González, Jamie Foxx, Jon Berthal, Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ bassist Flea) that Doc assembles for various heists.  But when Baby meets and falls in love with a waitress named Debora (Lily James), he’s become determined to abandon the life of crime, putting him at odds with Doc and the gang.

Boasting an interesting cast, the writing and direction did not waste such opportunity, as they pave the way for fantastic performances all around.  Ansel Elgort is especially a revelation.  I had never taught he has what it takes to headline a movie like Baby Driver; he did not strike me as noteworthy when I first saw him in the supremely bland Divergent movies.  But as Baby (who I think deserves to be in my list for best fictional drivers), he supplied the necessary nuances and charm to make the character work and his own.

The script is smart and superb.  It vividly realizes its characters and moments, delivers witty jokes, and impeccably meshes archetypal themes with surprising story developments.  And though I wish it had a more climactic, action-packed, high-octane third act, it nevertheless offers an ample amount of gratifying car chase and gun fight scenes without dumbing down the narrative.  Meanwhile, due to its music-loving protagonist, the soundtrack is as an integral aspect of the storytelling as its beautiful and well-picked shots.  There are many times, especially during the first half, where the movie feels like it’s unfolding like a musical, with the scenes playing out in sync with the songs playing in the background or Baby’s iPod.

For me, Baby Driver is nigh-perfect.  I do wish it had a more emphatically fist-pumping, feel-good conclusion than what it had.  But, other than that, I can’t think of anything I disliked.  This movie rocks big time.  I really enjoyed the narrative, the action, the characters, and the music.  In fact, it’s my most favorite film of 2017 so far.