Driven

Rating: Null/10 (5 November 2017)

Hoping to settle a debt with a crime boss, an orphaned young man works as a getaway driver, but severing ties with the crime boss when his debt is paid off proves challenging in this violent comedy thriller from Edgar Wright. The basic plot of 'Baby Driver' is hardly new or original and the romantic subplot that develops could have done with more work, but the film is still frequently engaging due to Wright's brisk pacing of the material and constant incorporation of iconic songs. The protagonist suffers from tinnitus (and listens to music as often as possible to drown out the noises in his ears) and Wright uses this plot point as a launching pad to make his film about the connection that we as individuals tend to feel between music and action. In one of the most interesting scenes, the protagonist delays a quick getaway in a stolen car while finding music with the right beat for his mood. This could perhaps be chalked up to obsessive compulsiveness, but with side scenes in which he records and mixes voices, creating his own music, the film makes it very clear how much he adores music. Add in some impressively choreographed on-foot chases (as well as car chases) and this is a riveting little movie. It may not have anything particularly enlightening to say about crime and the difficulties of turning over a new leaf, but there is at least nary a dull moment to be had.