Baby Driver

Director: Edgar Wright 

Screenplay:

Minutes: 113

Year: 2017

Score: 9.00 (!)

Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver is tremendous and you should see it. There is no point in pretending this not to be true since the film has rocketed up into the second position on my rating sheet and is the second film, of 807, to crack the 9’s.

The film tells the story of Baby, a getaway driver; as titles go it isn’t very deep, until the end credits song plays at least and you see how well Wright has wrapped up the full presentation. Baby works for Kevin Spacey, who magnificently portrays gang kingpin Doc, as his lucky charm driver. The film progresses over a series of heists and the down time in between, I am purposefully dancing around details because I want you to discover if yourself.

One of the benefits of writing this site is that I have invested a great deal of time into studying film. In doing so I have trained my eye to be able to see film more like a painting than a coloring book; both have their place, both are entertaining, but one is superior to the other. Baby Driver is a painting. There are a few flaws, a plot point here and there I may shift, but over all this film is something they should teach in film school.

This film, at its heart, is a heist film (or maybe a musical). But it is not the action packed road scenes which stand out to me. I cannot shake the Debra scene in the laundromat and it has nothing to do with the actors. My eyes were drawn to the clothing driers. This would usually be considered a distraction and would be reshot. However, Wright’s ability to perfectly marry music with the visuals in the film make the spinning driers backup dancers in the scene.

Another strength which takes the film to a new level is how, when Baby is in his musical zone everything, between the visuals to the audio, is in perfect sync, but when one of the gang foibles disrupt this dance the sync is gone, sometimes to the end of the scene, sometimes just momentarily.

I cannot imagine how difficult it was for Wright, the actors, editors and sound engineers, to choreograph everything so well but it pays off. It is rare for me to want to write a review for a new film, there are too many of those reviews and my words fall directly into a vacuum of irrelevance. So when I am unable to stop myself from writing this I cannot think of higher praise for the film.

One more thing, because I writing this while listening to the soundtrack; specifically, Bongolia by Incredible Bongo Band. Edgar Wright and I are on the same level when it comes to the importance of the mix tape. Similarly, to writing new flick reviews I do not remember the last time I went out of my way to snag a copy of a film soundtrack. This time I did.

Seriously, watch this movie.

Director: 10 – Cinematography: 9 –  Edit: 10 – Parity: 8 – Main performance: 10 – Else performance: 7 – Score: 10 – Sound: 10 – Story: 6 – Script: 10 – Effects: 10 – Design: 6 – Costumes: 8 – Keeps interest: 10 – Lasting: 10