CORNETTO trilogy (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End) creator Edgar Wright gives us a two-hour appreciation of music and car stunts, 22 years in the making.
Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a quiet, music obsessed 20-something with a gift for getaway driving.
Working for Doc (Kevin Spacey), Baby is the ticket to freedom for the people that pull off the various heists organised by his boss, with iPods buds placed firmly in his ears to drain the tinnitus he developed after a car crash years earlier.
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READ NOWIn the preparation for his final job, which will pay off his debt to Doc, he meets waitress Debora (Lily James) and begins to plan a new life with her, which includes an early escape, but it does not go as he hoped.
Built on an idea of matching a car chase to a song, Wright expanded his story throughout the years, adding many familiar elements, but also heart.
The “one last job” and meet-cute elements are a bit tired but Wright surrounds Baby with characters and relationships (such as the one with his deaf foster Dad that melt your heart) which add dramatic weight to the action and carnage.
Wright’s super-cool style is reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino.
The two have a huge affection for catchy tunes and cars and a motivation to thrill their audience – which Wright does successfully here.
THE ESSENTIALS
Baby Driver (MA)
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm
Four stars
Review by Julian Wright
In cinemas now