 Tagline: All you need is one killer track. A talented, young getaway driver relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss, he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom. Storyline: Baby is a young and partially hearing impaired getaway driver who can make any wild move while in motion with the right track playing. It's a critical talent he needs to survive his indentured servitude to the crime boss, Doc, who values his role in his meticulously planned robberies. However, just when Baby thinks he is finally free and clear to have his own life with his new girlfriend, Deborah, Doc coerces him back for another job. Now saddled with a crew of thugs too violently unstable to keep to Doc's plans, Baby finds himself and everything he cares for in terrible danger. To survive and escape the coming maelstrom, it will take all of Baby's skill, wits and daring, but even on the best track, can he make it when life is forcing him to face the music? Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com) Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, October 6, 2017 Baby Driver wouldn't appear to offer much of interest if one were to just glance at a quick plot outline: a young skilled driver, under the thumb of a dangerous criminal, is forced into duty as a getaway driver. He falls in love, wants out of the game, but he's forced back in, putting himself and everything and everyone he's ever cared for in danger. Indeed, Writer/Director Edgar Wright's (Hot Fuzz) film has all the makings of a drive-by sort of movie, a film that might throw a few good car chases and violent shootouts on the screen but ultimately crack under the weight of its own unoriginality. But Wright does something amazing: he gives the movie, and its lead character, a unique pulse and take on life. The lead is a character whose life is defined by music, who lives by soundtracks of his own mixing and even his own making. The story is told through both the visual and aural mediums, each complimenting and reinforcing the other, all the while shaping the character from the inside out, as if the music enters his ears, gets into his blood stream, and rewrites his DNA with each new beat. Music as a critical storytelling mechanic isn't unique to Baby Driver. Cameron Crowe is an expert, the Guardians of the Galaxyfilms have made the soundtrack the lifeblood of the movies. Baby Driver finds just the right beat, never feels self-aware, never crams the music in only because Wright seemed to like a song or had to stretch to make a scene work. Rarely does sight and sound compliment one another so well, so organically, with the character driven by his ears but ultimately guided by his heart. Baby, yes, Baby, as in B-a-b-y (Ansel Elgort), is the best driver in Atlanta, and one would be hard-pressed to find one better than him anywhere. He's barely old enough to be considered an adult, he lives his life between his earbuds and functions fully only when fueled by his music. He drives with the grace of Mozart and the edge of Hendrix. But circumstances have led him to work with Doc (Kevin Spacey), a criminal and de facto father figure who has Baby under his thumb, forcing him to drive getaway for the various heists he plans and the criminals he employs. Baby is working to pay off a debt owed to Doc, and he's just about done. He's eager to start a new life for himself with the small sums Doc gives him out of his cut. He cares for an elderly deaf man named Joseph (CJ Jones) and falls for a young waitress named Debora (Lily James) who shares his passion for music and yearns to escape her mundane life. But just as Baby believes he's paid his debt to Doc and is free to go about his life, Doc forces him back into the game to pull off a heist at a post office. The strongmen on his crew -- Bats (Jamie Foxx), Buddy (Jon Hamm), and Darling (Eiza González) -- react strongly to Baby, even as he proves his intelligence and ability to not only drive but recite and execute every detail of the plan, flawlessly. But their mistrust remains, and as the group grows increasingly violent, Baby hatches a plan to run away with Debora before he can be dragged any deeper into lawlessness and life-threatening danger. Baby Driver is contagious and fun, even considering the darkness that surrounds its characters and story. Violence, crime, heavily flawed characters, past tragedies, dangerous present circumstances, and bleak futures are all keystone plot points in the film, but Wright finds a tonal balance in his hero, a music lover whose life soundtrack not only defines a scene but sets a mood and counterbalances the darkness with toe-tapping fun. But the film does ensure its characters face their demons and foes and are placed in unenviable situations as their lives and realities and barriers and boundaries and hopes and dreams come crashing down, literally and figuratively both for Baby. All of them are much more than the sum of their exteriors, some more fully fleshed out than others, but the film, for all of its bleak plot points, takes care to give them all a voice, whether it's through music, their actions, or their relationships with one another. Few films enjoy such a fine-tuned balance of deeply personal characters, chaotic action, grim realities, and the hope that takes shape in love and understanding. Ansel Elgort nails the title character, grasping with certainty and depth the role the music plays in his life, both as it propels him forward and as it's shaped the path behind him. The backstory is simple but layered by complexity that has come since, both in his personal and "professional" life as a getaway driver. He looks and feels natural behind the wheel; the audience never questions his talents, why he drives or how, his motivations, his unique ability to focus and see the road and command the vehicle with a grace of a seasoned professional. He's supported by a strong cast that melts into the background behind him, who certainly play key roles but never overwhelm the star, only enhance and move his story forward. The film is also the beneficiary of quality action, including expertly choreographed shootouts and some of the best car stunt work the screen has seen in some time. The film builds Baby as a natural behind the wheel, and Wright and company ensure that the moves fit his skill set without turning either him into superman or his cars into video game props. It's all grounded in a tangible reality that heightens character awareness and further hones Baby from beginning to end. Baby Driver strikes just the right chord. The film overcomes core story cliché not only by way of its finely tuned and lifeblood soundtrack but also its choreography, character depth, and performances. This is one of the top films of 2017. Its Blu-ray delivers a well above average allotment of bonus content, but video is troublesome and Blu-ray fans are shortchanged the much superior Atmos track found on the UHD. That UHD is a much better presentation of the film, visually and aurally. This one is adequate, but anyone who can should spring for the superior edition. Obviously, the film itself comes very highly recommended. Trivia:
[CSW] -3.8- This reviewer said it better than I could: Four solid stars for this entertainingly fun new take on the getaway driver film. It's kind of Tarantino meets MTV in style, but it is the style that makes it so interesting! Almost the entire film is synchronized to the score, down to every drum beat, bass pluck and high hat. I found myself air-drumming to one scene in particular with an intense shoot-out. The sound of the guns firing is aligned exactly with the drumbeat of the song. Super cool. The intro alone sets the tone for how we can enjoy the various elements of music and film together. You have to almost watch it a second time to catch all of the various creative references and tricks; those that you might miss the first time around while you concentrate on the story and characters. The actors all do their part, in particular Ansel Elgort, who plays the lead with a cool demeanor and Elvis tone. I thought that the ending might have seemed a bit thrown together, but it is definitely a different take on how most films would have ended. Here we don't have an antihero, but a tortured protagonist with morals. A hero who likes good music in fact. Add that to some superb editing and crafty direction and you have an awesome and entertaining summer action flick with a unique style of its own.[V4.0-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box -- The motion add to and didn't subtract from the movie, they seem to have gotten the hang of just the right amount. Cast Notes: Ansel Elgort (Baby), Jon Bernthal (Griff), Jon Hamm (Buddy), Eiza González (Darling), Micah Howard (Barista), Lily James (Debora), Morgan Brown (Street Preacher), Kevin Spacey (Doc), Morse Diggs (Morse Diggs), CJ Jones (Joseph), Sky Ferreira (Baby's Mom), Lance Palmer (Baby's Dad), Hudson Meek (Young Baby), Viviana Chavez (Diner Waitress), Hal Whiteside (Cook). IMDb Rating (07/29/17): 8.2/10 from 68,915 users Top 250: #167
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