Baby Driver

Rating: 5/10 (8 July 2017)

Following all the promotion, this movie was receiving so much buzz from social media, having seen trailers I was certainly getting excited to see, so I hoped all the hype would be worthwhile, directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World's End). Basically in Atlanta, Georgia, Miles "Baby" (Golden Globe nominated Ansel Elgort) is a young and talented getaway driver, as a child he suffered a car accident that killed his parents, and left him with severe severe tinnitus, a permanent ringing in the ear, he blocks this out with music., he also produces his own music using conversations he records and remixes them. Baby works for mastermind heist planner Doc (Kevin Spacey), he stole one of Doc's cars in the past, so he is repaying a debt, Baby lives and cares for his deaf foster father Joseph (CJ Jones), and between jobs he spends time at a diner and strikes a friendship with waitress Debora (Downton Abbey's Lily James). After pulling off a robbery, Baby is told his debt will be paid off after the next job, with a different crew the planned heist is an armoured car robbery, an armed veteran in the parking lot attempts to stop them, but after a brief chase on the interstate they escape. Doc tells Baby his debt is paid, he instructs him to get rid of the car carrying the body of crew member JD (Lanny Joon), killed for carelessness and leaving a weapon behind, Baby next takes Joseph's advice and finds work delivering pizzas, and takes Debora to a fancy restaurant. Baby runs into Doc at the restaurant, he tells him to be ready for another job, he agrees in order to keep Debora and Joseph safe, the job is a post office robbery, to steal several boxes of money orders, the crew consists of members from previous heists, including former stock broker Jason "Buddy" Van Horn (Jon Hamm), Buddy's wife Monica "Darling" Costello (Eiza González), and unhinged and ruthless criminal Leon "Bats" Jefferson III (Jamie Foxx). The crew acquire weapons from a dealer nicknamed The Butcher (Paul Williams), but they realise he and some of his cohorts are police, Bats starts a gunfight, most of the Butcher's group are killed, and Darling is injured, they next stop at the diner where Debora works, Baby keeps quiet so the others do not suspect he knows her. Back to Doc's place, the group are chastised for what happened, Doc calls off the heist, but changes his mind when Buddy reveals he knows another way to get in, Baby tries to leave and run away with Debora, but he is caught with a tape of a conversation recording, Baby proves he is mixing them to music, they conclude he is not ratting on them, but they play a tape titled "Debora", and realise she is the waitress at the diner. During the heist, Buddy, Darling, and Bats successfully steal the money orders, Baby is angered when Bats shoots and murders a security guard, enraged he drives the car straight into the back of a truck, Bats is impaled and killed with rebar, the remaining three flee. Baby steals a car, but runs into Darling and Buddy, the police catch up to them and Darling is shot dead, Baby flees and Buddy vows revenge for the death of Darling. Baby steals another car and returns to his apartment, he leaves Joseph in an assisted living home with all his money, then returns to the diner to get Debora, only to find Buddy waiting for him, Baby shoots Buddy as police close in, he and Debora flee. Baby goes to Doc to retrieve on his cassette tapes, Doc softens when he sees him with Debora, and gives them a bag of money, they are ambushed in the parking lot below by the Butcher's men, Doc kills them, but then Buddy appears, runs over Doc and kills him. Baby decides to stop running, and takes a truck to push Buddy's car off the ledge, Buddy escapes before the car falls, he fires his gun next to Baby's ears, temporarily deafening him, Debora knocks away Buddy's gun, Baby uses it to shoot Buddy in the knee, causing him to fall off the parking lot to his death. Debora drives Baby away, but are stopped on a bridge by the police, Baby surrenders, he is sentenced to twenty-five years in prison for his crimes, with a parole hearing in five years, during his time inside Baby receives postcards from Debora, who promises to wait for him. Also starring Jon Bernthal as Griff, Flea as Eddie, Sky Ferreira as Baby's Mom and Lance Palmer as Baby's Dad. Elgort is a terrific choice to play the whizz kid with a talent for driving and a love for music, Spacey is constantly scowling and an unpredictable villain, and there is terrific support from Foxx, Hamm and James. What makes this film really clever is the soundtrack editing, the rock, hip hop and R&B songs have been choreographed and matched with the gun fire and chase sequences, every bang and crash goes to the beat of each song, I will admit some of the plot is bit disjointed, but it is definitely a cool alternative heist movie, a fast-paced and enjoyable action. It won the BAFTA for Best Editing, and it was nominated for Best Sound, and it was nominated the Oscars for Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing. Worth watching!