It's About the Girl

Rating: 10/10 (2 July 2017)

"Baby Driver" is awesome. Ansel Elgort is the star. Elgort is a young Clint Eastwood. He has a quiet gentleness and undeniable power. Ansel was amazing in "The Fault in Our Stars". Here he shines brighter than Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, and Jon Hamm, who are much older and all great.
In the opening scene Baby, played by Elgort, races away in robbery getaway heist in his red Mitsubishi with beguiling mastery. He is a protégé of sorts. Writer and Director Edgar Wright goes full throttle from the start, while subtly painting the portrait of his hero Baby. Baby is a kid in his twenties, who is plugged into his headphones from his iPod, to drown out the noise. He has Tinnitus, a ringing in his ears, the result of a tragic car accident when he was a child, revealed in flashback. Wright's car chase sequence is astounding. Baby drives fearlessly, ice water in his veins. However, he drives like a chess master. Wright is brilliant in his layered character reveal. And Elgort's unassuming charisma fuels this.
For me the signature scene unfolds when Baby grasps the hand of Jamie Foxx's Bats as he tries to draw his Beretta on the love of his life Debora. Elgort's Baby gazes into the eyes of Bats, "No." Elgort has the calm power and resolve embodying Wright's story of love and courage.
The most compelling occurs not when "Baby Driver" is roaring 140 mph, rather in the blossoming romance of Baby and waitress Debora, played by radiant and beautiful Lily James. Baby records Debora singing in his favorite diner. Then the two talk about their favorite music and song. Debora and Baby are sweet and kind to each other. Spectacular car chases and automatic weapons battles aside, "Baby Driver" is really 'about the girl'. As with most great stories, this is usually true.
Kevin Spacey is Doc, the robbery maestro who orchestrates the mayhem. His star driver is Baby. Doc's crew includes the couple Buddy and Darling, played by solid Jon Hamm and Eliza Gonzalez. Baby teams with Bats, played by calculated cold Jamie Foxx, for one more job to get straight in the bond beholding him to his boss and mentor Doc. Thinking he is free, and be with Debora, Baby soon discovers that "straight" doesn't mean done for Doc.
Baby lives with his deaf and wheelchair bound guardian Joseph, played by kind C.J. Jones. They touchingly converse in sign language. In the amazing dance sequence Baby makes a sandwich for Joseph, while plugged into his tunes. The music not only tones "Baby Driver", it defines it. Director Wright seamlessly atmospheres the songs ranging from Barry White, Lionel Richie to Queen as the provocative narrative. At times the movie is an elegant musical with song and dance set amidst mesmerizing action. This is distinctly "Baby Driver"'s art and profound charm.
Betrayal, conspiracy, and gunfire abound in Wright's visual portrait. The sharp furious dialogue of Doc, Bats, Buddy, and Darling are captivating, though ultimately for show. Really, this is "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." This only accentuates the quiet and measured eloquence of Baby. Baby knows he is cursed as a thief, lives by a code, and lives for love.
Kevin Spacey is surprising and powerful as Doc. He reveals not as we expect, displaying nobility in the end. Like both Spacey and Elgort, "Baby Driver" is a surprise. Yes, it is the visual adrenaline thrill ride. What touches most: "Baby Driver" is about the girl.