This Year's Smartest Thrill Ride has Arrived, and Baby's Driving

Rating: 10/10 (7 July 2017)

The opening bank heist sequence -- set to the backdrop of "Bellbottoms" by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion -- is indication enough that Baby Driver is, quite literally, driven by its music, and I'm so glad I went along for the ride. Edgar Wright's latest film is a stroke of pure genius.
Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a getaway driver for some pretty nasty people. Of course, he doesn't ever partake in the actual heisting -- expressing distaste in blood and gore at nearly every turn -- as he just waits outside for his crew (different every time), jamming out over sweet tunes to drown out his tinnitus. Or, as gang leader Doc (Kevin Spacey) puts it: his "hum in the drum."
During one of Baby's regular coffee runs he meets Debora (Lily James), a diner waitress who's cheerful energy evokes within him a desire to escape from the business that started out as debt fulfillment -- "to head west on the 20, in a car we can't afford, with a plan we don't have." The problem, and the main source of conflict, is how difficult it actually is to get away from the getaway profession. And with such note-perfect direction from Wright, we are swiftly guided through this musically driven experience that uses its melodies -- from the likes of Queen, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, The Shake, The Five Stairsteps and many others -- to enhance the narrative. Much like La La Land did last year. It's like a musical in disguise!
It's also really innovative in the way that it comes across as an elongated dance routine; never before have we seen a film that matches the rhythm of its music -- all chosen before writing the script -- with the beats of sound, movement and dialogue scattered throughout, in the way Baby Driver does. Fasten your seat belts, people. This is one ride you won't want to miss out on.