Baby Driver (2017) Review

A talented young getaway driver finds himself in the grip of the criminal underworld, which is no place to be when you’ve got a conscience. The only question remains—can he get away in time?

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Baby (Ansel Elgort) is looking to pay off a debt incurred from stealing the wrong man’s car, by driving the getaway car for a criminal mastermind who assembles teams for heists. Baby’s an exceptional driver, but when his debt is paid, he soon realises it won’t be so easy to escape his job.

With each job he does, he witnesses more and more that disturbs him. He is also falling in love with a waitress who works at the diner where his mother once did. Debora (Lily James) does not know what Baby does to earn money, but she knows it can’t be good.

As they plan their ultimate escape, things quickly turn sour—and suddenly it’s the underworld, and not the police, who are doing the chasing.

Baby Driver is a slick film that’s carried well by a talented cast. With Kevin Spacey adding to his string of sublime villains as Doc, the ringleader of the crime syndicate, and supporting acts from Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx, you know it’s going to deliver. But, it’s not just the more recognisable faces who do.

Both Ansel Elgort and Lily James are talents on the rise, and deservingly so. There’s something quite classic about them, and they bring a real presence to roles that could have been fun but superficial.

Director Edgar Wright’s humour is also present throughout, and there’s a sense of cool that oozes from every shot. If you love a good car chase, these are some of the best we’ve been treated to recently. They don’t fall off the cliff of extravagance, but they are exciting, bringing an enthralling, easy cool to our central character.

But the film itself is so much more than the car chases. It’s thrilling, emotional and fun—a rare mix by any standard today, but certainly one that makes for good viewing.

Baby Driver delivers as much on the thrills as it does on the entertainment. It carries romance and adventure, while modernising the heist genre. I didn’t know what to expect when I entered the cinema, but I’m sure glad I went.

Check this one out—it might surprise you.