Film: Baby Driver

GENRE: Action, Crime

RATING: R for some language and violence
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 53 minutes

STARRING: Ansel Elgort (Fault in Our Stars, Divergent series)

Lily James (Cinderella), Jon Hamm (Mad Men, Million Dollar Arm)

DIRECTOR: Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs the World)

WRITER: Wright (Shaun of the Dead, The Adventures of Tintin)

PLOT: A young getaway driver with mad skills pays his dues and tries to escape a life of crime after a heist gone wrong.    

FULL DISCLOSURE: Hate the title; heard the car chases were awesome

STORY STUFF: I’ll admit it took me a little bit to get invested in the characters and plot but once I did, I was hooked. A well told story that is full of heart, fun and creative driving. It also has some fun dialogue. I mean ‘who doesn’t love hats’?

ACTING STUFF: You can tell that everyone is having fun making this film together. Hamm and Jamie Foxx (Ray) are lovin’ their bad boy personas as is Kevin Spacey (House of Cards). I wish Spacey’s leader had a bit more quirks to him. I’m not a huge fan of Elgort but he grew on me as the story progressed. I did not like his Han Solo-esque black vest on white shirt look though.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: There are obviously two things that stick out in this film: the driving and the music. The driving is incredible and full of sweet drifting and gear changes. I like how non-green screen it was. And it seems like Wright went the Tarantino route of picking his soundtrack before filming his script. Some of the gunfire even goes to the beat. The music is a beautiful mix of classic rock and quirky fun from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. There are some recognizable hits and some obscure gems. I really liked the opener ‘Bellbottoms’ by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and I was transported back to my youth with the stone cold rhyming of Young MC with ‘Know How’. This soundtrack gives Guardians of the Galaxy a run for their money.

VERDICT: Four stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You enjoy fast cars with a kickin’ soundtrack.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Despicable Me 3, The House