Highly stylish and great fun, Baby Driver lacks very little.

Rating: 9/10 (9 January 2018)

Going into this film, despite the good reviews I'd heard, I expected it to be a relatively generic action movie. Perhaps something similar to the 'Fast and Furious' franchise, with an interesting soundtrack. Upon seeing that Edgar Wright was directing it, however, I knew that wouldn't be the case. As the director of some of my favourite comedy films, I knew he would bring something special to the movie.
To go back to my comparison to Fast and Furious briefly, Baby Driver's budget sits at 34 million dollars. Certainly a lot of money, but as far as modern action film budgets go, surprisingly low. In comparison, the first Fast and Furious's budget, released in 2001, is 38 million dollars. Since that, the budget has steadily increased until the most recent, F8. With a humble budget of 250 million dollars (making it the eighth most expensive film ever made) it's quite clear to see that Baby Driver is going back to basics regarding it's action. No more outrageous set pieces, instead simply a boy, his car, and his antagonists. Despite this, on Rotten Tomatoes, Baby Driver was the highest reviewed action film of the year.
I wouldn't actually consider this film a comedy. That isn't to say it isn't funny; it is. The comedy wasn't invasive, and was never the sole purpose of a scene, unlike in many other big-budget movies this past year. Instead of derailing the plot, comedy is used effectively and sparingly, never showing up during tense moments. The film allows you to feel nervous when you're supposed to, and laugh when out of harm's way.
The action in this film is fantastic, though I feel the chases are really the highlight. The car chases are not only thrilling, but smart. While Baby (Ansel Elgort) drives, you can actually see him working out what to do next, and how to go about losing his pursuers. At one point, there is a foot chase, which is also rather brilliant. Again, you can see the character actively thinking as he moves, and there is some impressive action exhibited throughout. The gun-play is, in my opinion, the weakest of the action elements. With that said, it isn't bad, simply without much originality or style. The characters act brashly, which is enjoyable, but I rarely felt tension when a gun was involved.
Ordinarily, I might ignore focusing on such an element, but as it's integral to the plot, I shall briefly discuss the romance between Baby and Deborah (Lily James). As much as it pains me to say this, I feel it was probably one of the weakest elements. Much of it happens rather suddenly. For myself, however, it was saved by Elgort and James's chemistry together; their conversations were rather sweet, despite Baby's seeming difficulty to converse with the girl.
Following this trend, I'll move on to the characters. While none of them are ever boring, they are all arguably one-note and rather simple. There's rarely much depth to them. Adding the depth needed to make them perfect, however, may have led to the film dragging and becoming boring. As it stands, I never found myself checking my watch. With that said, I still enjoyed each and every one of them; the actors all did a fantastic job bringing them to life. Funny characters can go on to be intimidating, then back to comedic seamlessly, and vice-versa. Discussing the actors, however, brings up an unfortunately unavoidable controversy.
Kevin Spacey has recently been accused of many accounts of sexual misconduct. Regardless of whether or not these accusations are true, this may well ruin his portrayal in the film for you. If you are able to separate art from the artist, this shouldn't be an issue. For those who feel these allegations are too serious, however, I shall let you know his character isn't too prominent in the film. He also plays a sort of semi-antagonist throughout the earlier portions of the film. And if you hate his guts, *Spoilers until the next paragraph* you get to see him die towards the end, too! Rather brutally, at that.
Finally, I have to talk about the music. Like many films recently, Baby Driver makes use of an unconventional soundtrack. Many of the songs featured are classics from decades past, and much like Guardians of the Galaxy, there's an actual reason for it. Edgar Wright even checked with James Gunn to be sure they wouldn't use the same songs in the then-unreleased Guardians of the Galaxy 2! Unlike the aforementioned marvel movies, however, the music is more than a novelty. The entire film revolves around Baby's music. Much of the action happens to the beat of songs, and many times the lyrics of a specific tune will match the scene in which it's featured. It also features a wide variety of genres, including, but not limited to, Rock, Soul, Jazz and some classic Pop. Baby (or Edgar Wright) has great taste.
To conclude, I legitimately loved this movie. While it had a few issues, it was one of the most stylised and fun movies I've seen from the year, while also succeeding at being an effective action thriller. If you either don't believe or can ignore the accusations made against Mr. Spacey, I feel this movie is a solid 9/10, held back only by a few minor issues in writing. In fact, while there are certainly better films, this one has quickly earned a place amongst some of my favourite.