Slick, witty and immensely enjoyable

Rating: 9/10 (29 June 2017)

I left the movie theatre wanting to drive like Elgort, aka "Baby", drives in this film, listening to the music that he listens to while driving in this film. If that isn't what any great car movie makes you want to do, then it isn't good enough.
Baby Driver is the best automobile based movie flick in years, seamlessly combining stunning action with a great story and a stellar range of characters. Every part of this film was fun to watch, every character had their moment; the whole film was like a buzz.
Like many other films in Edgar Wright's excellent back catalogue, Baby Driver takes its influences from all sorts of places. At its core, it's a classic "one last job" action movie, mixed with a teenage romance and set against an urban crime back drop. It's like a GTA-themed rom- com, only with a GTA style soundtrack and none of the luvvy-duvvy stuff you'll find in a romance film (save for the single best use of Barry White I've ever seen in the diner shootout scene).
Speaking of the soundtrack, the song choices are inventive, smart and used impeccably well. Whether it's Baby's dancing, the songs used to characterise his affections for Debora, the way the gun shots are edited with the music or how they're used both by the characters and the film to make the action sequences more thrilling, it is nothing short of a stroke of genius. I had to stop myself from singing along to Radar Love, while the choice of 60s soul classics felt like a subtle nod to the musical choices of many-a Tarantino film, and it felt very appropriate in setting the "this is cool" vibe needed to complete the film.
I was particularly impressed with the style of characters. Baby is a really original idea, and the perfect excuse to fill the film with so many brilliant songs. Plus, his character development is well handled and well paced, and ultimately satisfying. Lilly James's Debora turned out to be far more interesting than I expected, much to the film's benefit, and plays an important role both as a possibility of escape for Baby and as the mandatory love interest, especially in the latter half of the film. Kevin Spacey's Doc was a perfect neutral character - the story kept you guessing who's side he was really on, and he was always enjoyable to watch, sporting some of the best lines and a black Mercedes S-Class which really suited his character. The rest of the criminals were also well written and well used, especially with how the antagonist of the film was essentially the lack of trust you could have in your fellow heisters, giving the plot plenty of freedom to make all of them equally dangerous to our antagonist.
The slick writing really shines in the quieter scenes, but its the action scenes that stand out most of all. I'm sure every other reviewer has said something along the same lines as this, but it is so refreshing to see a car chase film that doesn't rely on CGI. It's even better to see chases that are shot and executed so well. The editing was absolutely masterful and easily some of Wright's best. The speed and tension was conveyed with utter dexterity, and it's a delight to watch.
As a car enthusiast, the choice of vehicles in the film was particularly pleasing. Perhaps best of all was how each chase featured a different getaway car, which helped to characterise each scene far better. The Subaru in the first chase suited the narrow and confined spaces of the city centre, while the bigger, tougher looking Chevvy Avalanche reflected the grittier nature of the second chase. While it doesn't mean that any of the cars become characters in themselves, such as in the F&F movies, it makes the film feel very diverse and varied, something which I really liked.
The one criticism I have is a stupid one. Baby got an original iPod for his birthday when he was still just a kid. I didn't believe that for a second!
Save for that minor and completely subjective problem, Baby Driver is an outright success. Big screen thrills with an equally big heart, tasetful and beautifully filmed action and an outstanding soundtrack that is used to supreme effect. It's one hell of a good film for sure, easily one of (perhaps even THE) best Edgar Wright films ever and a new benchmark for car movies. I'm sure I'll be referring to it as one of my favourite films of the decade in years to come, and will no doubt be singing its praises in the meantime.