#thank you scott pilgrim for this important lesson

[incorrect-hs-quotes]

Jane: Not to sound like a medieval peasant or a catholic but I resent anti-carb propaganda so much like bread will never be evil it is holy it is divine it is one of life’s most simple yet decadent pleasures. Love is stored in the bread

[cinedave]

REVIEW: Baby Driver - Cruising to film of the year?

So once I was watching Hollyoaks (“I had a life before you met me.... let’s just leave it at that”) and someone was teaching their younger brother/friend/who cares, to drive for a series of predictable comedic scenes. Yet Whatshisface that looked like boy band reject had a very important first lesson for that pre-pubescent 20something. What’s the first thing you should do before driving? “Sort out your chuuunes!”. I like to think that some films are made in a similar process (#seemlesslink) whereby music becomes less an afterthought accompaniment and more an embedded part of the narrative; sometimes even shaping the story itself. These days soundtrack driven films are doing good business with titles like Guardians of Galaxy being acclaimed for their music as much as the film itself. Yet if there is one man above all else that is the king of soundtrack driven film making, that man is Edgar Wright. Look back to the Cornetto trilogy for master strokes like Shaun of the Dead’s Queen fight, subtle brilliances like accenting a dialogue exchanges in Hot Fuzz with fruit machine noises or litetrally anything in Scott pilgrim. The man knows how to bring your ears into the picture.... and sadly (thanks partly to the problems with Ant Man) he hasn’t delivered a film since 2013 World’s End. Yet fear not Edgar-holics because now he’s come screeching back with Baby Driver; it’s an utterly magnificent film with his soundtrack-centric cinematics revving hard under the hood.

This music loving Baby (Ansel Elgort – The Fault in Our Stars) is a gifted getaway driver working off his debt to crime honcho Doc (Kevin Spacey – House of Cards). Yet when Baby falls for waitress Deborah (Lily James – not Harry Potter’s mum) and tries to leave that world is his mirrors others are keen to hit the brakes.

Now let’s be clear. This soundtrack orientated approach is not Wright pressing play on a 2 hour playlist. Every note is organically weaved and constructed into the visuals and narrative to neigh on perfection. From the more obvious action sequences that hit the song beats with every gun blast and car swerve; to simple tracking shot montages following Baby through a scene. Every inch of this film has rhythm and soul flowing through it which never stops being engaging. The whole film places you smack bang within the mindset (and headphones) of Baby as it steadily cruises through its eclectic mix. Yet….. and be honest, you knew this comparison was coming….. this is not just Drive with a funk remix being far more light hearted in overall tone while still incorporating serious elements via the darker side of Baby’s criminal experiences. This is best summed up in the opening scene pre-heist; a focused and serious Baby waits for the others to depart his car for the bank robbery before bursting into an elaborate car karaoke session like it’s just an ordinary day. Throughout its play through Baby Driver continually impresses by hitting such a precision line between being straight faced and comical. It frequently holds dramatic tension yet the tone of any scene can (and often does) switch at the slightest, unexpected, moment in a way that never stops being rewarding and Elgort’s baby continually embodies this with a mixture of focus, awkwardness and vulnerability.

This is also much more of an action/thriller than it indie flick image would entail. The heist jobs are even spaced throughout so that even the predominant car chase connoisseur will never be left wanting. In fact in the villain act, when a de facto villain character emerges several scenes have a strong Mad Max feel to them. For bonus tracks there’s a few good shoot outs included and everything is outstandingly captured through Wright’s lens. While there are 1 or 2 jump moments the blood and violence is squeamish safe and never feel gratuitous. The script is all the slices fried gold. Wright also wrote the screenplay (being an idea of his for over 20 years) and all the wit, one liners and invention you’ll already associate with his past films is clear and present. The only mild bump in the road is the use of Lily James’s Deborah as Baby’s love interest and runaway partner. While she’s certainly likeable on screen and there’s some clear harmonising with Elgort her character remains rather shallow throughout as the focus stays on Baby. Other than a couple passing comments we ultimately know little about her which makes the idea of her skipping town on a whim a little harder to buy into. In an ensemble of great characters she feels little more than a plot device.

Speaking of the accompaniment, the track listing of eccentric characters goes a considerable way to making this a smash hit. First up rotating job based line up helps keep all involved fresh and saves getting bogged down with too many sub plots to give everyone something to do. Instead they just play the hits giving us all their best material with no filler. Jamie Foxx’s (Django Unchained) Bats is the star of the supporting acts; self proclaimed mentally unstable and delivering a constant uncertainty over whether his actions are genius or just random impulses. Then filling out the back line you have Jon Bernthal (The Punisher) in his full glorious cocky/dick mode, Jon Hamm (Mad Men) bringing his mix of charm and edge and although Eiza González (From Dusk Till Dawn) is little more than the token female she’s still interesting enough. Then top it all off you have Kevin freakin’ Spacey conducting this dysfunctional criminal orchestra. Many are faces are based on archetypes but none feel like imitations or stereotypes.

Some have labeled this the most original film in years. It’s hard to even classify it being part action/thriller, part musical, part oddball indie, part heist movie and more besides. You won’t see another film it this year.... or many as good because in my opinion this now the 2017 film to beat. It’s a universal recommendation. A toe tapping masterpiece and guaranteed to get your heart racing that could not be more Wright.