Baby Driver (2017) Review
Updated: Aug 21, 2021
This is my review, to what I believe to be a great film - Baby Driver.
4.5 out of 5 Starts
Baby Driver is an action/crime film directed by Edgar Wright who is known for directing films such as ‘Scott Pilgrim vs the World’ and The Cornetto Trilogy (‘Shaun on the dead’, ‘Hot
Fuzz’ and ‘The Worlds End’).
The film follows the man character, Baby (nickname), who is the getaway driver for a crime boss to try and pay off his debts with them.
The details that the director has added to the film is astounding. The stand out scene within this movie is the famous coffee run scene, where the lyrics of the music are shown in the scene through the form of graffiti on the walls. The graffiti really adds to ehe overall enjoyment of the scene and sets a high bar for the rest of the movie.
Overall, I would say the film is intended to be fun and inventive. It's fine details and symbolisms helps create a fun and engaging story .The film fills you with a sense of excitement , and hooks you in with simple techniques like plotwists and foreshadowing (something that Edgar Wright uses often).
The film uses a load of practical effects/stunts and most action sequences the actors were portraying their genuine reaction. The love story within this film is well planned out, however, it can seem 1 dimensional at first but as the story progresses so does the relationship. It becomes more complex and in the the driving force of the film. The main component that makes this film standout is the music and how it is pared with the scenes, most of the score is diegetic as it is being played by Baby’s various I-pods and his collection of music. Aditionally, whenever Baby isn’t wearing headphones you can hear a faint ringing sound cause my Baby’s tinnitus.
The actors did an amazing job of portraying the different character and their emotions. The MVPs of this movie are Ansel Elgort (Baby) and Jon Hamm that plays buddy one of the antagonists of the film.
Some of the main problems I have with the film is the break down of the plot in different parts of the second half. The films start off strong with a tight plot which is meant to follow Baby and his struggles but towards the second half the plot thread loosens and some plot points are left open-ended.
There are parts where the character would act out of character but this is mainly used to keep the story moving forward. For example: Buddy was shown to be calculating at the start but his character became more reckless and spontaneous when it came to the film's climax.