The much-hyped Baby Driver is an audiophile's take on the heist movie, supported by an all-star cast and a killer soundtrack.

Rating: 8/10 (25 July 2017)

The much-hyped Baby Driver is an audiophile's take on the heist movie, supported by an all-star cast and a killer soundtrack. While in parts the plot is as snappy and high- octane as the driving and the beat, the film lets itself down in the final sequences with a lesser ending than it deserved.
You never know what to expect from Edgar Wright. The director best known for the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy (Sean of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World's End), Scott Pilgrim and more recently Marvel's Ant Man, has a reputation for quirky comedies with big appeal. For me Baby Driver shows the continued maturation of a talented director, with beautiful cinematography choreographed to an incredible soundtrack.
Unlike most action movies, Baby Driver has the luxury of an all-star cast, with Ansel Elgort (The Fault in our Stars) supported by Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm. Lesser known Eiza González plays the eye candy, while Lily James (Cinderella) is cast as the waitress love interest. All give as strong performances as a good movie of the genre requires, and the first half of the film builds nicely into an enjoyably clichéd premise - the last heist before freedom.
The real star of this film though is the music. A carefully crafted, albeit eclectic, playlist from Queen and James Brown to a catchy original remix ("Was he slow") from Kid Koala keep the story moving from one action sequence to the next, while taking the audience on a journey of musical appreciation.
Sadly, as the film races towards completion the plot stalls, trying too hard to build character motivations and redeem villains, we wander into a drawn-out car chase that poses more questions than it answers. Such a shame that Edgar took his foot off the gas so close to the end of what was otherwise a very enjoyable and exhilarating film.