"Baby Driver" - A Thrilling Film with Charisma and Charm

Rating: 9/10 (4 June 2018)

Baby Driver is the perfect film for a casual moviegoer with a thirst for action, romance, and heart. It perfectly portrays the world in shades of grey, unlike the majority of blockbusters, showing only our world in black and white, good versus evil. A story of love and loss is just one of the numerous appealing parts of this film. Baby, as played by Ansel Elgort, is our lovable and heartfelt protagonist, who meets a waitress named Debora, and falls in love with her, all while experiencing a life of action and peril as a getaway driver.
Now many will tell this off as 'another action movie', which it is not. It has a deep message about the world and what we perceive as evil and bad, and about love and relationships. This film is also now famous for its incredible use of nostalgic music, like The Champs' "Tequila" and The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's "Bellbottoms". It has well-coordinated action scenes, that have subtle timing and clever hints at the plot slipped in. This was Edgar Wright's near-perfect film, and it was as beautifully crafted as it was plain old action and car racing. Another plus is that the visual and practical effects are very impressive. I really can get immersed in Baby's world and not get seriously pulled out by anything.
Kevin Spacey's character, Doc, is a well-written tough guy with a soft spot for Baby and Debora, who really gives the movie a humorous and lighter-hearted feel. A great antagonistic performance was given by Jon Hamm, who knocks it out of the park as Buddy, as well as Jamie Foxx and Eiza González as Bats and Darling respectively. Lily James depicts Debora, Baby's love interest, and acts very well, and is as entertaining as Baby in almost every department. She really steals every scene she's in. Last, but certainly not least, is CJ Jones as Joseph, Baby's deaf foster father. He possibly gives the most convincing and great performance in the entire film. Other notables include Jon Bernthal, Flea, Lanny Loon, Sky Ferreira, Lance Palmer, and Hudson Meek.
The only major problem I have with this film is that Edgar Wright occasionally makes it painfully obvious what he wants to do. The message usually gets across very well, but the way it's presented can get a little forced. But like I said, only occasionally.
This film is a great action movie, filled with a true passion for what's being filmed, and complete with memorable performances by Ansel Elgort and others. I very much recommend this movie to anyone who wants to see a fun movie with a message to tell. 9 out of 10!