Wright Delivers Another Winner

Rating: 10/10 (22 June 2017)

Wow. Baby Driver might just be the best film director Edgar Wright has ever crafted. An exhilarating ride, Baby Driver serves as a showcase for Wright to combine everything he's learned in the director's chair up to this point, from quick-witted humor to high-octane action sequences and everything in between. Over twenty years in the making, from the first frame to the last, Wright's film fires on all cylinders in a glorious exercise of style.
The film follows Baby (Ansel Elgort), a young getaway driver with tinnitus who constantly plays music to drown out the sound. To be fair, I wasn't quite sold on the film when I first heard about it. While I was intrigued by the premise, I didn't know quite how Wright would pull it off. But after the fantastic Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy and the criminally underrated Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Wright has knocked it out of the park for a fifth straight time, something I should have never doubted was possible. While I've heard other compare the film to 2011's Drive (but funnier) or 2016's La La Land (but with car chases), I actually think they're doing the film a disservice. Only Wright, a unique talent who continues to solidify himself as one of today's best directors, could have conceived of the spectacle featured in the film.
Gone are the quirky British settings of Wright's previous films, with the whole of Baby Driver set in Atlanta. While I was a bit skeptical about this change, seeing as how a major part of my love for the films of the Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy had been their setting in England, Wright immediately sets the tone from the get-go, opening with a thrilling bank robbery sequence that includes a well-executed long take. The pressure just builds from there, as Wright crafts chases and shootouts with technical flair and superb skill. Bill Pope, who previously collaborated with Wright on The World's End and Scott Pilgrim, captures the proceedings beautifully, his superb camera-work showing through every scene. Visually stunning, Baby Driver is a wonder to behold on the big screen.
Perhaps the most impressive of the film's many technical aspects is the editing, handled expertly by the duo of Jonathan Amoss and Paul Machliss. Wright's carefully curated soundtrack works perfectly in conjunction with whatever's on screen, allowing for the film to develop a unique, energetic rhythm unlike anything I've seen. And as for the soundtrack itself, it's one of the film's many assets, with Wright mixing songs both new and old to great sonic effect. Additionally, Wright makes sure that every song serves a purpose, allowing each one of them to shine.
Baby Driver, however, isn't a conventional action film by any means. Remember, this an Edgar Wright film after all. The way the story unfolds allows for more than a few twists and turns that managed to keep me enthralled. Additionally, I was surprised that a supporting character's presence was entirely left out of the trailers. Considering marketing's propensity to leave no stone unturned when it comes to a film's trailers, it was refreshing to see that was not the case here. While I won't spoil who that character is, I will say that they help ground the story by providing an emotional tether for both Elgort and the audience that becomes indispensable the more I think about it.
While the film undoubtedly belongs to Elgort in the lead role, who does a tremendous job acting opposite so many established stars, I was thoroughly surprised by how much I enjoyed Jon Hamm's role. Hamm simply owns it as Buddy. While Jamie Foxx might be more of a scene- stealer as the unpredictable Bats, it's Buddy that truly kept me on the edge of my seat. However, Foxx shines as well, delivering a performance entirely unhinged and yet, wholly believable. As for the rest of the cast, Lily James shines as well, bringing a lightness to the proceedings that provides a nice balance to the hardened criminals that make up the rest of the cast. Kevin Spacey atones for the sins of Nine Lives here, as the leader of the criminal outfit that Baby drives for. Spacey makes for a great criminal leader, delivering another electric performance in a career full of them. And Eiza González, who plays Buddy's wife Darling, turns in a solid turn as well, fierce and sensual in equal measure. While a slight part of me wishes that certain cast members had received more screen time, I do commend Wright for presenting a straightforward story that does not stumble over its own excess.
As for the story itself, some might be surprised to find that Wright's focus here isn't so much on the humor, with the film having perhaps the darkest tone of all of his films. Whereas in his previous films, the death of a character was usually treated with humor and levity, the stakes here are definitely higher. However, make no mistake, the clever writing that has shaped each of Wright's previous films remains intact. While Wright's emphasis does shift a bit more towards delivering genuine thrills than I was expecting, he succeeds graciously. But both the thrills and humor are all in service of one thing: Wright's script. And with his script, Wright accomplishes his goal of delivering an entertaining, rollicking crime romp complete with a fantastic soundtrack and well-rounded characters.
Wright is simply at the top of his directorial game here. His directorial trademarks, from the way he handles transitions to the sublime usage of visual storytelling, are all here and put to splendid use. But above all, Baby Driver is kinetic entertainment, a bright spot in an otherwise mediocre summer movie season. I walked out of the theater feeling electrified, eager for another opportunity to see the film again. Simply put, Baby Driver is the most fun I've had at the theater in a long, long time.
Rating: 10/10 (Masterpiece)