Wright at the top of his game

Rating: 8/10 (15 July 2017)

Edgar Wright has a bleedingly simple goal for his new movie, as Kevin Spacey's head honcho Doc so eloquently puts it: "people love great bank robbery stories, so let's give them something bold and brazen as f@!& to talk about over their lattes." Wright has certainly achieved that, and more, with Baby Driver. His ambition to deliver originality is matched by his genius in concocting a hyper-real world where every action beat, every character tic and every sound bite is calibrated with flair and intrigue. It's easy to pick the films that influenced Wright—Heat, Reservoir Dogs, Bullitt to name only a few—but they aren't simply repurposed for a modern audience, they're used as a base for Wright to subvert expectation and build his own iconic sequences. Most impressive is the means in which music is integrated into the proceedings. The action is not only choreographed and edited in synch with the tunes, but also often dictated by the song chosen by our titular protagonist (the charismatic Ansel Elgort). There's a refreshing focus on practical effects that enhances the excitement too; witnessing high-octane, frenetic car chases knowing they were executed for real is exhilarating, highlighting the fact that CGI is not a necessity in crafting superb action flicks. Having written the script as well, Wright deserves even more praise for creating a collection of quirky, dangerous and exciting characters, then nailing his cast selection with a crop of ridiculously talented actors who make them memorable. Elgort makes quiet cool as Baby, Jamie Foxx brings an electric volatility to criminal Bats, Lily James is charming as girl-next-door Debora, Jon Hamm and Elsa Gonzalez are slick and sexy as Buddy and Darling, and Spacey amps up the sneering menace to record heights. Boasting adrenaline-pumping set pieces, a plethora of unforgettable characters, endlessly quotable dialogue and a soundtrack for the ages, Baby Driver is a fresh, fun and unique cinematic offering by a filmmaker clearly at the top of his game.