Edgars Wright creative mind puts down on paper a very unique mix of music and action in the movie Baby Driver (2017). With a sharp storyteller and sharp visual style, Edgar Wright brings out a cinematic experience in the film that combines a heist movie, an extravagance of car chase, and musical action. With an ensemble cast headlined by Ansel Elgort, Baby Driver quickly became a cult favorite due to its creative storytelling and the just thrilling action sequences.
Overview
Title: Baby Driver
Director: Edgar Wright
Release Date: June 28, 2017
Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller
Runtime: 113 minutes
Rating: R (for violence and language)
Studio: TriStar Pictures
Baby Driver is a movie shot in Atlanta, Georgia. The film tells the story of Baby, a young getaway driver who uses music to drown out his tinnitus and synchronize his high-stakes missions. It is marked by the faultless integration of music and action where the soundtrack is as important as the storyline.
Storyline
The movie is a sequel of Baby, the young talented driver who has passion for music. He listens to music all through with his iPod after getting left an orphan by car accident that resulted in tinnitus. He works as a getaway driver for Doc, who plans elaborately executed heists. His talent in driving makes Baby an asset in Doc's team.
Baby wants to leave his crime-filled life and start fresh with waitress Debora (Lily James) - who happens to share his taste in music. But Doc persuades Baby to pull one final job for him. The job is the most unstable crew he's assembled, including Buddy (Jon Hamm), Darling (Eiza González), and the loose-cannon Bats (Jamie Foxx). When everything starts getting haywire, Baby needs to rely on his brain, driving skills, and bravery to come out of the mess and rescue Debora.
Cast and Performances
This film has an excellent cast with fine performances:
Ansel Elgort as Baby:
In the quiet, charismatic yet vulnerable persona of Baby, he has brought the character and himself in the film compellingly together. He had shown much nuance regarding his inner turmoil in the character and the love for music.
Lily James as Debora:
James's charm and warmth bring light to Baby's love, hopeful against the danger that follows him.
Kevin Spacey as Doc:
Spacey's measured, menacing performance as the brains of the operation brings a level of tension to the film.
Jon Hamm as Buddy:
Hamm is great as the smooth, deadly criminal whose downward spiral into madness forms one of the movie's most compelling arcs.
Eiza González as Darling:
González has just the right amount of cockiness and chemistry with Hamm to be a very impressive member of the cast.
Jamie Foxx as Bats:
Foxx brings untamed and hyper-action to the deranged, unpredictable Bats, an element of danger to every scene he is in.
Review
Critical reception
Baby Driver was a critical success, with the praise being given to its originality, direction, performances, and most importantly, the music usage. The critics pointed out Edgar Wright's dexterity in fitting the action into the track, a rhythm that advances the movie.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Metacritic: 86/100
Audience Score: 4.5/5
What Makes Baby Driver Unique?
1. Music-Driven Storytelling: The sound track does have some iconic tracks of the artists that include Queen, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Beach Boys. Each action sequence had choreographed action with beats within the movie. This facilitated a seamless integration of the audio and visual storytelling into the movie.
2. Thrilling Car Stunts: While most action movies of today are replete with CGI for the stunt scenes, Baby Driver goes the whole hog and entirely depends on practical effects. The stunts are very thrilling and the perfect driving adds up to the scenes.
3. Edgar Wright's Filmmaking: Edgar Wright's perfectionism and innovative storytelling make Baby Driver the ultimate film in the action category. His comedy-tension-emotional moments blend is unmatched.
1. Redemption: Baby goes through the redemptive path since he attempts to find an escape route from the crime life and get towards happiness with Debora.
2. Music as Therapy: Applying music as therapy for his tinnitus, Baby's dependence offers a metaphor on how art heals and inspires.
3. Morality in a Grey World: The movie introduces confusion between good and evil with Baby, who seems confused about his place in an illegal venture.
How to Watch
Baby Driver is currently streaming on multiple platforms. The options to stream the movie are as follows:
1. Streaming Services
Netflix (depending on your location)
Amazon Prime Video
Hulu
2. Rent or Buy
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
YouTube Movies
3. Blu-ray/DVD:
The film can be bought in physical media for those who want to have a copy or watch the movie off-line.
Interesting Facts About Baby Driver
1. Stunt Car Chases: The entire car chases within the movie were done using practical effects, no CGI.
2. Long Development Time: Edgar Wright came up with the idea of Baby Driver in 1995 and even used his music video of Mint Royale's "Blue Song" as a proof of concept for the film.
3. Improv Dialogue: Most of what Jamie Foxx said was from script ad-libs. While this gave his character sort of unpredictability to a certain degree.
4. Scored Screenplay: Actually Wright wrote the screenplay for particular songs that he has, so music was adapted along with each scene's rhythms and feel.
Impact and Legacy
Since its release, Baby Driver has been one of the most innovative action films in the 21st century. It revived the car chase genre and set a new benchmark for the use of music in storytelling. The movie has been nominated for many awards, including three Oscars: Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing.
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