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Though he’s written and directed just a handful of quirky features, Edgar Wright’s playfulness and humor have made him a favorite of both critics and fans. And in Baby Driver, he once again tries his hand at something new and different, offering up a high-speed crime thriller with a smooth, musical twist.
Baby Driver stars Ansel Elgort as Baby, a gifted young getaway driver who’s working to pay off his debt to crime boss Doc (Kevin Spacey). When his debt is finally paid in full, he decides to settle into a normal life, delivering pizzas and dating Debora (Lily James), the cute waitress from the diner he visits every day. But when Doc recruits Baby for another job, he has no choice but to agree—and he soon finds himself caught up in an ill-fated mission with some unstable partners.
From the opening sequence of Baby Driver, it’s clear that this isn’t just another crime thriller. Edgar Wright wouldn’t make just another crime thriller. Instead, he’s made a crime thriller that feels like The Fast and the Furious in La La Land.
Baby does everything with ear buds in his ears, playing music to drown out the permanent buzz in his ears caused by the accident that killed his parents. Everything he does has its own jazzy soundtrack—whether he’s walking down the street to get coffee or engaging the police in a high-speed chase through crowded city streets. And that jazzy soundtrack gives the film its own unique rhythm.
Once again, Wright mixes together an assortment of genres. Baby Driver isn’t just about the music or the heists. It’s also a romance—and it has plenty of humorous touches, too. But, despite the laughs and the love story, it’s also remarkably tense and disconcerting. With each high-speed chase…each new job…even each sweet moment, it’s all too obvious that it’s just a matter of time before things go wrong for Baby. And that tension will keep you holding your breath through most of the adventure.
Granted, there are a few times when the rhythm falters—when the tone doesn’t feel quite right and the story seems to get sidetracked for a while. But the entertaining cast and the fast-moving, toe-tapping action make it easy to overlook a few flaws.
If you liked the music and style of La La Land but wished the film weren’t so breezy, then Baby Driver was made for you. Be careful to watch your speed on the way home from the theater, though—because you’ll be tempted to crank up the music and go a little heavy on the gas pedal.
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