BABY DRIVER
***
Director: Edgar Wright
Principal Cast:
Ansel Elgort
Kevin Spacey
Jon Hamm
Eliza González
Jamie Foxx
Lily James
Screenwriter: Edgar Wright
Country: UK/USA
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 112mins.
Australian release date: 13 July 2017
Previewed at: Event Cinemas, George Street, Sydney, on 29 June 2017.
British director Edgar Wright first came to Australian attention as one of the co-creators of the hilarious cult TV series Spaced (shown on ABC TV), on which he collaborated with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. He went on to make what’s become known as the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, that very funny series of films comprised of Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World's End (2013), again working with the comedic team of Pegg and Frost. In Baby Driver, working from his own script, he’s turned away from his humorous roots and made a dramatic heist movie focusing on a young getaway car driver. It’s a shame because, as it turns out, he’s much better at comedy than this sort of material.
Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a hot-shot driver who suffers from tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears. To compensate, he has a pair of ‘phones permanently clamped to his head and access to a vast compendium of tracks. His every movement is choreographed to a favourite tune, particularly evident when, in an early scene, he boogies down an Atlanta street to collect four take-away coffees. It’s an impressive shot and you wonder how long it took to capture - Simon Pegg has referred to Wright as a "perfectionist" because he’s known for asking for many takes during filming. Baby is indentured to master criminal Doc (Kevin Spacey) because he was caught jacking Doc’s car, so he’s working off the debt by driving heist vehicles for various freelance bank robbers employed by Doc. It goes without saying that these are some heavy dudes and they’re usually uneasy about working with the baby-faced kid, especially as Baby rarely opens his mouth. The day comes, however, when Doc says he’s paid his dues and Baby makes plans to head west with the girl of his dreams, waitress Debora (Lily James), but before they can leave he’s reeled back in for one more job. Bugger!
Baby Driver generated a lot of pre-release buzz, especially regarding the soundtrack but, for me, the music didn’t live up to the hype - it was curiously disappointing (with notable exceptions, of course; Bob & Earl’s Harlem Shuffle take a bow). Wright’s screenplay, too, left a bit to be desired and felt stretched at 112 minutes, particularly the drawn-out denouement. On the plus side, the car chases are beautifully done, the driving stunts superb. Elgort and James are appealing as the star-crossed lovers, despite the fact that Baby is a difficult character to relate to, as withdrawn as he is. The bad guys are terrific, however. Jon Hamm’s Buddy and Jamie Foxx’s Bats are bad mofos and I’m guessing they had a lot of fun with their roles. Kevin Spacey, though, seems to be walking through his scenes and, for a criminal mastermind, is nowhere near as malevolent as his Francis Underwood character in House of Cards. On balance, there are plenty of directors out there that do this stuff better than Wright. His forte is comedy and I hope he returns to it.
Principal Cast:
Ansel Elgort
Kevin Spacey
Jon Hamm
Eliza González
Jamie Foxx
Lily James
Screenwriter: Edgar Wright
Country: UK/USA
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 112mins.
Australian release date: 13 July 2017
Previewed at: Event Cinemas, George Street, Sydney, on 29 June 2017.
British director Edgar Wright first came to Australian attention as one of the co-creators of the hilarious cult TV series Spaced (shown on ABC TV), on which he collaborated with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. He went on to make what’s become known as the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, that very funny series of films comprised of Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World's End (2013), again working with the comedic team of Pegg and Frost. In Baby Driver, working from his own script, he’s turned away from his humorous roots and made a dramatic heist movie focusing on a young getaway car driver. It’s a shame because, as it turns out, he’s much better at comedy than this sort of material.
Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a hot-shot driver who suffers from tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears. To compensate, he has a pair of ‘phones permanently clamped to his head and access to a vast compendium of tracks. His every movement is choreographed to a favourite tune, particularly evident when, in an early scene, he boogies down an Atlanta street to collect four take-away coffees. It’s an impressive shot and you wonder how long it took to capture - Simon Pegg has referred to Wright as a "perfectionist" because he’s known for asking for many takes during filming. Baby is indentured to master criminal Doc (Kevin Spacey) because he was caught jacking Doc’s car, so he’s working off the debt by driving heist vehicles for various freelance bank robbers employed by Doc. It goes without saying that these are some heavy dudes and they’re usually uneasy about working with the baby-faced kid, especially as Baby rarely opens his mouth. The day comes, however, when Doc says he’s paid his dues and Baby makes plans to head west with the girl of his dreams, waitress Debora (Lily James), but before they can leave he’s reeled back in for one more job. Bugger!
Baby Driver generated a lot of pre-release buzz, especially regarding the soundtrack but, for me, the music didn’t live up to the hype - it was curiously disappointing (with notable exceptions, of course; Bob & Earl’s Harlem Shuffle take a bow). Wright’s screenplay, too, left a bit to be desired and felt stretched at 112 minutes, particularly the drawn-out denouement. On the plus side, the car chases are beautifully done, the driving stunts superb. Elgort and James are appealing as the star-crossed lovers, despite the fact that Baby is a difficult character to relate to, as withdrawn as he is. The bad guys are terrific, however. Jon Hamm’s Buddy and Jamie Foxx’s Bats are bad mofos and I’m guessing they had a lot of fun with their roles. Kevin Spacey, though, seems to be walking through his scenes and, for a criminal mastermind, is nowhere near as malevolent as his Francis Underwood character in House of Cards. On balance, there are plenty of directors out there that do this stuff better than Wright. His forte is comedy and I hope he returns to it.