Director Edgar Wright has steadily morphed into a pop culture icon, with his films becoming genuine events for legions of devoted fans chomping at the bit for a piece of the action. His presence in the film world, and the fandom that follows him, sits somewhere between Quentin Tarantino’s rockstar magnetism and Kevin Smith’s flagrant stoner bait. His latest film, Baby Driver, is a high-octane heist movie that wears its influences proudly and makes no apologies for exploiting the genre.
‘Baby’ (Ansel Elgort) is a highly skilled getaway driver working for a ruthless crime boss (Kevin Spacey). He uses his iPod music to drown out the world around him and soften a severe case of tinnitus caused by a childhood accident. With violent criminals in the back seat, he pinballs through the city like a maniac, evading cops like a four-wheeled ninja warrior. His arrangement with the boss is secretive and unbeknownst to the rest of the crew, an agreement that is slowly bringing Baby closer to retirement. Cue the girl of his dreams and a plan to leave the criminal life behind for a fresh start. Naturally, being an action film, things turn to shit and all hell breaks loose. Highly stylised violence ensues, and a killer soundtrack carries us to the finish line.
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With films like Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World under his belt, it’s difficult to single one out over another in terms of quality. However, Baby Driver is, in my mind, Wright’s most acute and accomplished work to date. Despite borrowing cues from similarly themed films such as The Transporter, Reservoir Dogs and The Fast and the Furious, Wright finesses his influences into a cunning action film that carries the expected energy of a Hollywood blockbuster alongside his signature humour and a genuine sense of originality. No new ground is broken here, but it certainly looks as though it has been.
The assembled cast is strong, with Elgort proving to be a compelling, if unexpected, lead. His boyish looks and mild-mannered demeanour amplify the intensity of the action, and his presence among the chaos feels deliberately out of place. That contrast plays directly into the film’s greatest strength: the illusion of originality. It works in much the same way as Taron Egerton’s role in Kingsman: The Secret Service, another comparable film, where audience empathy is maintained through an unassuming central performance. Spacey is also solid, delivering the calm, maniacal demeanour he has long mastered, offering a reliable performance few could make as effortlessly charming.
The supporting cast includes Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Lily James and Eiza González. Hamm, in particular, is a standout, delivering a show-stealing turn as a hardened thug with a strong character arc. He adopts the bad-ass persona effortlessly and emerges as a genuine highlight. Foxx, while adequate, feels less convincing and leans too heavily into archetype. In trying to steal the show, he instead creates a caricatured villain whose presence is often overshadowed by Elgort’s natural low-key restraint.
Wright’s vision and astute direction are on full display, and Baby Driver, at this point in time, feels like his magnum opus. His energetic fusion of action and music delivers an overdose of style and substance that is as kinetic as it is engrossing. The editing seamlessly blends action with soundtrack, turning gunshots and explosions into a rhapsody of controlled chaos. Add a touch of drama to the mix and the result is a super-fun, full-throttle action flick that rightly earned its place on many 2017 “best of” lists.
