SILVER TONGUED SILVER SCREEN: BABY DRIVER (2017)

Edgar Wright is one of those filmmakers that jumped out on my radar with the film HOT FUZZ. I was a little late to the SHAUN OF THE DEAD party but I jumped on-board with that one shortly thereafter. He's one of those directors that constantly perfects his craft with each film. I really enjoyed SCOTT PILGRIM and after seeing THE WORLD'S END I said "whatever this guy does I have to go see." One of the most recent works of Wright's that I finally saw was SPACED and I loved that too. I even enjoyed his "fake" horror trailer DON'T for Grindhouse. And I do believe his fingerprints remained on ANT-MAN even after he left the project, his influence being one of the reasons why that film succeeded.

Wow... could I have a browner nose right now? The answer is yes.

I finally saw BABY DRIVER (again, I'm a little late) last night. One of the strengths of Edgar Wright's films that I floors me every time is the connectivity. Nothing is arbitrary. Every piece of the film was written, designed, and placed in the film with a purpose. I mean everything. I can't begin to fathom how much thought goes into creating his films. But I am so very grateful for it. Not only are his films enjoyable to watch but they are enjoyable to rewatch and dissect. Baby Driver is no exception to this and continues Wright's winning streak.

THE PLOT

When Baby was a kid he was involved in a car crash. The accident left him with a permanent ringing in his ears not to mention mental trauma. To get through it all Baby listens to music and keeps on moving. As a kid he boosted the wrong guy's car which put him in debt to a master thief. Ever since he's been acting as the getaway driver for the master thief. Now Baby's debt has been paid and he wants out. But the life he leads and the nefarious people he works with just won't let him go. Baby has to fight his way out if he's going to leave it all behind.

WHAT I LIKED

The Music. First and foremost is the music. The soundtrack for this film is huge and the music is just as much a character in this film as the actors. And I'm not talking about the selection of music either, although the selection is certainly choice, but the employment of the music in the film. The music helps tell the story, it enhances the action of the film, and it cues the audience into the inner workings of the characters like what they're feeling emotionally, their mood swings, and more. I don't think I've seen a film use music so effectively as Edgar Wright has done with Baby Driver.

The Actors. Jon Bernthal, Jamie Fox, Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, and Eiza Gonzalez play the thieves and they make a terrific ensemble. Jon Bernthal is barely in the movie but his performance already sets you ill at ease. And then Jamie Fox arrives and really amps up the tension. Jon Hamm and Eiza Gonzalez play a couple and work well off each other. And Kevin Spacey plays a wonderfully unpredictable mastermind villain. Going into the film the biggest point of uncertainty for me was lead actor Ansel Elgort, but I was pleasantly surprised by his performance. The onscreen chemistry between Elgort and Lily James worked well, I thought.

Action and Humor and Tension and Romance and Heart. I love the range of emotions present in this film. The mix of all the elements is one of the major strengths of this film and all of these elements are so well balanced with each other. One of Wright's great talents as a filmmaker is being able to mix and balance so many different emotions on screen, not just in Baby Driver but in his other films as well. The man makes a mean cocktail.

NITPICKS

All right, there is no way I could ever make a film this good. What I'm about to say is from someone who knows little about what it takes to make a movie like this. It took me a little bit to get into the movie. The opening action sequence I had already seen in the trailers so I was waiting for the movie to hook me beyond that point. And it took a little while. I was mainly waiting to be sold on Ansel Elgort's character and that didn't happen right away. The initial interactions between Elgort and Lily James didn't quite flow for me. But after about the first 15 to 20 minutes I was sold.

THE VERDICT

Baby Driver is fun, exciting, thrilling, heartfelt, and even scary at times (thank you, Jamie Fox for being so scary). The marriage of music and visual storytelling in this film is like nothing you've ever seen, one fueling the other. A true movie-going experience. I couldn't help but come out of this movie tapping my foot. There's so much in this film to look for and analyze and it was such a fun film that I can't wait to watch it again.

Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10

Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10