Edgar Wright churns out a masterpiece in the Car Heist subgenre of car-chase movies. Baby is more than just a technical marvel, which Wright excels at, he did a better job on making likable characters and plot (I just don’t like Scott Pilgrim). When the hero is driving, the vehicular ballet on display would make Hal Needham jealous.
The plot is straightforward via the trailers. Baby is the wheelman for numerous bank heists around Atlanta, coordinated by the ever great Kevin Spacey. What makes him unusual is how “tuned out” he is, compared to the other thugs (Jon Hamm, Jon Bernthal, Jamie Foxx and Eiza Gonzalez); due to a childhood accident, he has permanent tinnitus, so he’s constantly drowning out the ringing with tunes from “old” iPods. The various songs are also used for timing the robbery schedules.
Anyway, Baby gradually learns that one can’t walk away from a life of crime even when you’re just the getaway driver and your financial obligations are cleared (Layer Cake reference in my opinion). Meeting his dream girl adds complications to his escape plan along with protecting his guardian.
I can’t recommend Baby Driver enough. It lived up to all the hype when Alamo was plugging it before numerous action/drama movies we took in this Summer. Is Baby my favorite for the Summer of 2017? Well, the season isn’t necessarily over but I would say it is in the top three.
Alamo Extras: Some music videos, namely the one Wright directed for band I didn’t recognize; the rest was Q&A with Edgar Wright
- Five favorite car crashes
- Five favorite car chases
- Five best heist songs
- Other questions:
- What would he like to remake?
- Favorite piece of dialogue?
- Most uncomfortable moment on set?
- Who’s worst to work with; CG, animals or children?
- Classics never seen?
- Star Wars or Jaws?