Edgar Wright takes a step back from his notorious comedies with his own unique attempt at an action thriller based in Atlanta, and I’m more than happy this film became what it is. From the exquisite soundtrack to the fantastic camera work, you can tell Wright has made a film he is incredibly proud of. With Wrights impressive film resume, from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010) to Ant-Man (2015) Baby Driver takes a different approach to the typical idea of an action film by having an astounding soundtrack, thrilling action sequences and a lovable main character making the film feel like an action musical hybrid.
The soundtrack to this film is arguably one of the best from Wright including classics like; Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Bellbottoms, The Commodores – Easy and many more. Wright had actually planned each scene around the soundtrack before he had even started filming, giving it an even deeper meaning. The way Wright has managed to tie in the soundtrack to take the main stage in the film is particularly impressive. Each gunshot, questionable action and turn in the impressive car chases all sync up to a particular beat hand picked by Wright himself. The star of the film, Baby (Ansel Elgort) has a case of lifelong tinnitus caused by a crash when he was a child, so he floods his ears with music to keep the ringing out of his ears. The soundtrack in this film is what brings everything together, fueling the love story between Baby and Debora (Lily James), which is the primary drive for Baby to keep on going throughout. The first scene where we see Baby gathering coffee for Doc and his crew, when he first watched Deborah walk by him, the wall on the other side of the street is spray painted with a love heart, ultimately showing the audience, if they have a keen eye, however, that this will be Baby’s love interest through the film. This scene shows off the impressive editing once again, as while Baby walks through the Atlanta streets, the lyrics of Bob and Earl’s Harlem Shuffle plays in the background. It’s also worth noticing the significance of music in Baby’s life. He has an iPod classic for any day or mood which he is in which is a fantastic touch by Wright. A pink glammed up iPod for when he’s feeling happy or his iPod that contains his ‘killer song’ Brighton Rock – Queen. In the scene where he is editing a version of his own mixes, ‘Is he slow’ you can see an aerial shot of all of his iPods laying out on the table. From the original cracked iPod classic which he had as a child, to the numerous others, its clear Wright wants to get across how important music is to Baby and his lifestyle.
When it comes to Wright as a director, he is never afraid of using popular pop culture references in his films. From the iconic Point Break (1991) shooting in the air scene in Hot Fuzz to the reenactment of George A. Romero’s classic scene in Day of the Dead (1985) in Shaun of the Dead, Baby Driver is no exception to this. In a scene which is probably Wrights nod to his fans that he excels in comedies, J.D (Lanny Joon) is told to purchase masks of Michael Myers from the infamous Halloween saga, yet he buys Mike Myers masks instead to give a laugh, This just once again proving that Wright is a master at including the smallest of things to keep his on-screen comedy alive, even in a film revolving a lot around death and crime. Wright also uses a very popular quote from Monsters Inc (2001) which Baby repeats to Doc multiple times ‘You and I are a team, there’s nothing more important than our friendship’ which later comes back to bite Baby in the ass as Doc finally snaps demanding him to stop quoting Monsters Inc otherwise he’ll kill him himself.
Elgort’s performance in this film is nothing less than perfect. From the get-go, we are introduced to a kind, lovable soul who is quite clearly involved with the wrong people. Even the cold Doc has a soft spot for Baby, as he is the only crew member who is consistently involved with his plans, as he is his ‘good luck charm’ as said by Doc himself. Its quite obvious that the goal of Wright when it comes to Elgort’s character is to prove to the audience that he is not a bad guy, yet simply a young teen with no other option but to do what he is asked. In the final scenes of the film, we are shown the multiple actions that Baby had performed throughout. From saving a woman from death by warning her not to go into work, to apologizing after stealing an elderly woman’s car. The very boyish character in which Elgort plays is extremely different to his previous roles in films like The Fault in our Stars and Divergent in this film you enjoy watching everything he does on screen. From the basic task of grabbing coffee for his co-workers, to ‘sunsetting’ a car, everything he does on screen is delightful.
All in all, Baby driver is a must-see film from Wright, bringing all aspects of a great film together; a compelling love story, interesting characters, an exciting plot line, and a great soundtrack, you will find yourself going back to rewatch this film just in case you’ve missed a tiny detail which will give you even more respect for Wright than you may already have.
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