Writer/director Edgar Wright tries his hand at the crime genre with the enormously entertaining and frequently thrilling Baby Driver.
Ansel Elgort is the titular “Baby”, a fresh-faced getaway driver who drowns out his constant tinnitus by popping in his ear buds and listening to his iPod. Naturally, the hardened criminals that comprise his crew don’t trust the seemingly meek kid, but he always manages to surprise them with his savant-like mastery behind the wheel. Things get complicated when Baby falls in love with a waitress (Lily James) and tries to make his next job his last job. As we all know from watching heist movies, the “one last job” usually winds up going south.
Wright puts together a number of rousing action sequences. The stunt work is terrific and the constant car chases are among the best in recent memory. He also keeps the pace going as fast as Baby’s driving, so you never have to wait long in between the various shootouts and chase scenes. Wright’s use of pop music at first seems a bit too cool for school, but that feeling dissipates once we discover Baby’s relationship to his playlist. Seeing how the various getaway sequences synch up to the music is one of the many joys of the movie.
It also helps that the cast is stacked with talent. Kevin Spacey is quite good as the coolly sinister mastermind behind the heists. Jamie Foxx has a lot of menace as the distrusting bank robber who doesn’t take kindly to Baby’s quirks. Jon Hamm is also aces as the seemingly laid-back member of the crew who eventually shows his true nature. It was also fun seeing Paul Williams show up in a cameo as an arms dealer.
If the movie has a flaw, it’s that the love story between Elgort and James rings false. It’s your standard Hollywood Meet Cute and all their scenes together feel hollow and manufactured. In fact, the outrageous car chases are more believable than their lovey-dovey scenes. James does what she can, but her character is almost painfully one-dimensional. That’s a small qualm in the long run because when Baby Driver has its foot on the gas, it’s a lot of fun.
I thought the love story was quite touching.
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