okay but done before

Rating: 6/10 (13 January 2018)

Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a boyish, young man caught up in Atlanta's crime scene. As he is indebted to a crime-lord (Kevin Spacey), his expert driving skills are exploited as a getaway driver for various robberies. Baby would eventually like to go "straight" but the crime-lord won't allow this.
"Baby Driver" is a competent film: the story is consistent and sometimes exciting; the acting is good; the main character is interesting; the car chases and criminal showdowns are well done; and it has a superb soundtrack (Baby has to constantly listen to music due to a traumatic incident in his childhood).
With all the praise in the above paragraph, a rating of at least three stars should be in order. But it goes down a half notch for a couple of reasons. As a film that is dependent on car chases and shoot-'em-ups, "Baby Driver" would inevitably be compared to the hundreds of others that have already been done in this genre. More unique films that advance this well-worn genre would deserve a three-star rating or higher. While not quite formulaic, "Baby Driver"'s depth goes only so far. Had it been more substantial, I might have given the film a higher rating.