Viewed 03/07/17 at Odeon Chatham.
Set in a contemporary modern America with a hint of vintage flair, Baby Driver is based on the escapades of a young man (Baby) of whom has been caught up in a crime ring with some very experienced partakers. It follows the struggle of his condition tinnitus which causes a constant humming in his ear. He uses music as a way to drown out this noise whilst completing the most intricate and hair-raising escapes as the groups driver. This attachment to the crime world causes a lot of problems for Baby and the people that he cares about most. Caught in a cycle of being used by the head of the crime ring he tries to figure out a way to finally escape. But does he?
Baby Driver is driven by the conceptual excellence and sheer detail ingrained in the action scenes and the music. This is evident in several heists when the shootout follows the melody of the accompanying soundtrack. This is a superbly placed theme, not distracting at all from the purpose and gravitas of the moment set on screen. The music in genre is covered predominantly by 70's rock/80's hip-hop and R&B. Having such a eclectic collection of music with the calibre and authenticity of songs available ties in with the whole spectacle creating an extremely cool experience.
Apart from a far from watertight plot line, which admittedly had a couple of unneeded repeated moments, the main story involving Baby and his life story was intrinsically and meticulously placed. Regardless of the malicious content due to the heists, you feel for Baby. Apart from the screamingly evident talent for driving, you are constantly reminded about how he doesn't belong in that specific world due to his kind nature and hatred for violence. As is the very shrewd writing, he along with an ounce of care about Doc towards the end, is the sole participant in what gives a ultimately rugged and brutal genre a heart.
Clearly giving every minute bit of energy in his performance, Ansel Elgort as Baby energises the film with a few dance breaks and quips delivered with precision timing to lighten even the most heavy of moments. Kevin Spacey as Doc gave the importance and depth in which a Mastermind needs. His somewhat mysterious performance was understated but incredibly astute. A rather deft role of Baby's Love interest is played by Lily James as Deborah. Although not a huge performance in screen time, Lily has shown the profound interpretation and bold choices she has decided as an actress. Jamie Foxx as Batts, Eiza González as Darling and John Hamm as Buddy all contribute also in which across the board was a stellar cast in terms of the input and energy exhibited on the big screen.
Possibly my favourite heist film as yet due to the stylistic choices it has made, this film will have the incredible ability to make you really empathise for a criminal but also suddenly be wowed and start chuckling at the double-entendres and the very witty one-liners. Fully recommended to see for a fan of a hearty heist film, it brings a smile to your face and equally pulls at your heartstrings.
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