Baby Driver: Blu-Ray Review

“Baby Driver” balances explosive action and style and flair.
 Photo By Sony

While the summer is generally dominated by an array of bombastic action blockbusters, this summer delivered a very rare film, one that balances explosive action with style and flair, a highly-cinematic experience unlike anything else released this year. English director, screenwriter, and producer Edgar Wright’s sixth film “Baby Driver” successfully marries the action of a crime thriller with the rhythm of a musical through Wright’s consistently unique approach to storytelling and cinematography. 

    “Baby Driver” is centered around the movie’s headphone-wearing front-man, Baby, a gifted young getaway driver for a crime boss he found himself indebted to at an early age. Played by the incredibly talented Ansel Elgort, Baby suffers from tinnitus, a ringing in his ears brought on by a tragic car wreck when he was a young Baby. To offset this constant “hum-in-the-drum,” Baby drowns the world out with the music provided by his beloved set of iPods. 

    Elgort’s stellar performance of Baby is made even better by the equally solid performances of the ensemble. Kevin Spacey’s Doc is an intelligent and commanding crime boss. Jamie Fox’s Bats is a threatening and deadly wildcard. Eiza González and Jon Hamm’s crazed Darling and Buddy are the perfect offset to Baby’s budding romance with Lily James’s Deborah, a young waitress Baby falls in love with during his time away from the wheel. 

    While the film’s cast delivers phenomenal performances that carry the film to great heights, the real star of “Baby Driver” is its marriage of action and music. Almost every gunshot, footstep, and car door slam is synchronized with the film’s eclectic soundtrack, which features classics such as “The Harlem Shuffle” by Bob & Earl, “Neat Neat Neat” by The Damned, and “Brighton Rock” by Queen. 

    From the opening moments of the film, a tense bank robbery and car chase set to “Bellbottoms” by the John Spencer Blues Explosion, “Baby Driver” introduces its style hook of synchronized music and action, never failing with more ambitious scenes taking Edgar Wright’s crowning trick to the next level. 

    The entire world of “Baby Driver” is shaped by Baby’s iPod when the music is playing, with signs and graffiti matching the lyrics of the songs. While a small touch, this attention to detail further sells “Baby Driver’s” unique style. 

    Since “Baby Driver” follows a getaway driver, the film spends quite a lot of time behind the wheel of one of Baby’s many rides. These car chases are the film’s highlight, perfectly displaying Wright’s hand for direction as Baby whizzes across the streets with the music pumping to his every move. 

    These car chases also serve a narrative importance, as after every drive, Baby is one step closer to paying off his debt to Doc, setting him free to drive as he pleases and pursue a normal life with his waitress love interest. While the relationship between these two lovebirds progresses rather quickly, Elgort and James sell the couples’ need for each other as an escape from the incredibly disparate yet equally painful worlds in which the two are trapped. 

    From start to finish, “Baby Driver” is a masterpiece film that never backs away from its unique hook that sets it apart from the usual crowd of action thrillers. Through the outstanding performances of the film’s cast and director Edgar Wright’s ever-unique approach to direction, “Baby Driver” lands itself as not only one of the most entertaining films of the year, but also as one of Wright’s most stylish films to date.