There a few auteur directors working in Hollywood these days that you go and see a film just because that certain director was the one who made it. These are your Christopher Nolans, your David Finchers, your Martin Scorceses. And I would definitely put Edgar Wright on that list. The man has a very unique way of using visuals to portray both action and comedy that has captivated fans and mainstream audiences since Shaun Of The Dead (2004). And continued to make cult hits such as Hot Fuzz (2007), Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010), and The World's End (2013). Making him a household name in the U.K. But lately, in this decade, Edgar Wright has been trying to break into Hollywood. He was given the chance with Scott Pilgrim, which was a critical success but a financial disaster. Earning $48 million (estimated) worldwide compared to its $60 million (estimated) budget. And then in 2014, he was kicked off of Marvel's Ant-Man (2015) due to creative issues, holding his career back again. But it seems that Sony has given Wright his second chance in Hollywood with Baby Driver. Promising classic Wright-style visuals mixed in with some stellar stunt work on par with the high-budget blockbusters of today.
First Thoughts
Baby Driver has been getting amazing reviews months before it was even released in cinemas! With critics claiming it a masterpiece and the best film of the year so far. It even holds a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a fantastic score! But, if I'm being perfectly honest, I don't really see it. I think it's a very good movie that I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys films or is interested in filmmaking as a whole, as it has great stunt work, stellar film-making and a very interesting premise that only Edgar Wright could pull off. But I feel like the film has some serious flaws that, in my mind, hold it back from being the masterpiece that critics are claiming it to be.
Baby/Ansel Elgort
I did not like Baby. Oddly enough I found him as one of the weaker characters in this film, finding other characters far more interesting than him. Ansel Elgort has proven himself to be a capable actor in the past, and he does have some very good moments here. For example, his interactions with Bats (Jamie Foxx) and the tension between the two, or the romance scenes between Baby and Deborah, I thought they were very well acted. And had me invested in the character. And there are his chase scenes, particularly around the third act when he's running through the mall, Elgort clearly has a knack for action. But I think the main reason Baby didn't really work for me was that Elgort didn't really nail down what kind of character he was playing. Baby was a variation of different character types: The reluctant hero, the rebel, the weirdo, the hopeless romantic and others. So it wasn't easy relating to his character because it kept changing in different scenes.
Deborah/Lily James
Onto an actor who did know how to portray her character is Lily James as the love interest, Deborah. I really liked James in this film. She was sweet, interesting and her scenes with Baby were some of my favourite scenes. When those two characters were just talking to one another the audience gets to know Deborah a lot, and our invested with her and want her and Baby to drive off into the sunset. For example, when the two of them started talking for the first time about music and how they could go through all the song that have their names in them. It was a really lovely and human moment for both characters. For me, the scenes with Deborah are where the film hits its peak, character-wise, as audiences could get highly invested in their romance. However, I do have to say that Deborah's character seems to only be limited to Baby's girlfriend. Now, I get that that's what she's meant to be, a reason for Baby to want to get out of the Bank robbery business, but I would have liked to have known some more of what was going on in her life.
Bats/Jamie Foxx
Probably my least favourite character in this film is Bats, played by Jamie Foxx. Bats could have been a really interesting character, and I did like him in the first robbery he was in, where he was this loose cannon that frightened baby, I thought that was set up very well. But then he just gradually got more annoying and talkative. He started acting like a bad Tarantino character, which is weird because Jamie Foxx has played a really good Tarantino character (Django Unchained, 2012) so I'm not sure what happened here. There's one scene in particular where the whole robbery crew are at the Diner where Deborah works and Bats is telling them all about the world they live in and insulting the others. He just seemed to just drone on and on, after a while I just wanted him to shut up. So yeah, didn't like Bats that much. I felt like he had the most wasted potential in this film.
Buddy & Darling/Jon Hamm & Eiza González
These two characters weren't really brought up that much in the promotional material for Baby Driver, which is a damn shame because I actually liked these two. Sure, at first when they're in the lift together at the start and they're kissing in the corner and it's kinda awkward for everyone in the lift, including the audience. But both Buddy and Darling worked well in most of their scenes. In the first act, they seem to be like a modern Bonnie and Clyde who are quite friendly with Baby, which is good after people like Bats and Griff (Jon Bernthal) were jerks to him. I particularly liked the bit where Buddy walks over to Baby and talks to him about his go-to joy ride song. This scene established an almost kindred spirit between the two and gives the finale more of a boost. Then, as the film goes on, the audience starts to see the psychopathic cracks in their personas. And they're not the nice co-workers that Baby thought they were. I liked this a lot as it shows that Baby can't really trust anyone. And I like how vicious they both act towards Baby in the third act, finally showing their true colours in the end. And Buddy becoming an antagonist in the finale was well-earned, although I don't think he should have been the main antagonist. But overall, I really liked these two characters.
Doc/Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey is always great to watch. He usually puts in a lot of energy into his performances, and Baby Driver is no exception. He was threatening, like in the restaurant scene where he's threatening Baby into doing another job for him. He does it with such a calm and confident manner that it's quite scary. The audience can definitely feel how powerful he truly is. Spacey was also quite funny in his scenes. Particularly in his last scene where he was shot mid-sentence and simply acts like he was interrupted. However, I was very let down by his character in the third act. Baby has just ruined the heist and asks Doc for help, which he gives him. This seems very out of character for him, as he had been built up to the main antagonist with his scary demeanour and subtle threats to Baby. Plus, Baby ruining the heist would have lost him so much money! Why the Hell would he help him?! He would lead the charge to kill him! This was a serious flaw in the script that took me out of it a lot. But I still enjoyed Spacey's performance very well. Even though his character disappointed me in the end.The Soundtrack
One of the things that I can say was 100% on-point was the soundtrack. For a film like this, the soundtrack was quite unconventional. But Wright made it work. I was very impressed by the way Wright was able to choreograph the action scenes so well to the rhythm of the music. He's no stranger to this, as he used this technique in Shaun Of The Dead with the Winchester scene. But I'd say that he's perfected it for this film. A really good example of this is the shootout at the warehouse between the heist gang and some crooked cops, to the song Tequila by The Champs. Not a song you'd expect to be used for that kind of scenario but was choreographed so well to the music that the audience would be entranced in it. However, the music is also used well for the slower moments, such as the scenes with Baby and Deborah, particularly using the songs Debora and Debra, which the characters do talk about together. Used very well to make the connection between the two characters. Overall, this is an amazing soundtrack that compliments the film almost perfectly.
Edgar Wright
Edgar Wright has been a fan favourite for many, many years. And I believe, with this film, I think he's finally broken into the Hollywood mainstream. Wright's signature style is beautifully on display in this film. From his unique methods of sign-posting, use of editing for comedic timing, and, of course, the music cut to the action to such an amazing impact! My only concern is that for this film he wasn't as stylistic in this film as he's been in the past. Although, I can understand why he would do this, as he went full stylistic for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and that film, unfortunately, tanked at the box office and nearly dashed his chances of working in the Hollywood Mainstream. So I can understand why he would tone his artistic styles down a bit. But this was a great way of him to break out big in Hollywood, and I hope for his next film he's able to bring more of his style into it.
Conclusion
This is a really good film. very well acted, edited, choreographed and stylised. My only concerns for the film are mainly in the writing. In the way that certain arcs are handled or the way certain characters are written in terms of dialogue. But this is a great film for those who enjoy the medium, are fans of Edgar Wright or of action films in general.
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