Baby Driver Review
Here’s our Baby Driver review fresh from the press screening. The film was directed by Edgar Wright and stars Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, John Hamm and Jamie Foxx. The film opens August 2 from Columbia Pictures Philippines.
Edgar Wright has given us an extremely well-crafted caper film featuring pretty boy Ansel Elgort as the driving prodigy Baby. Plus he’s assembled such an ensemble cast just to tell a story that’s part crime story, part love story and part action movie.
I honestly walked into the press screening expecting so-so acting and bad pacing but I was wrong. The film is anything but filled with so-so acting and bad pacing. In fact, its those two that really made the film shine for me.
Acting-wise, I loved Elgort’s performance here. Very naive and simplistic while still holding to some issues from his childhood. This is a protagonist that makes mistakes and a protagonist that we want to see succeed. Sadly there were some beats that aren’t fleshed out but that’s more of the writing and how the film progressed. Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx and even Lily James had great moments here.
I hate that Jon Bernthal was relegated to a few scenes in the opening of the movie. It’s just like that moment in the sci-fi/horror Life where Ryan Reynolds gets billed but he’s not even in half the movie. Yeah, yeah, please ignore my rants.
Anyway, Baby Driver’s light on the story but heavy on the characterization and development. There’s a bit of emotional disconnect though especially between Baby and his foster father. Also it gets weird by the third act as to why people are acting the way they are in the movie and I have to specially call out the absurdity of Eiza Gonzalez’s character Darling here. Seriously, WTF, there’s a fire fight and you don’t want to get cover? Can somebody tell this chick that she’s not bulletproof.
Or maybe Wright has something to say about all that, some weird symbolism I missed.
The music was great; I feel like Wright actually made a movie specifically for a set of songs that he likes which ranges from The Commodores to Ennio Moricone. The opening though is PERFECT.
Satisfying action and thrills and definitely got a “stylized” caper and heist films.
Baby Driver Verdict
8/10
This Baby Driver review won’t be possible without the help of Columbia Pictures Philippines. Baby Driver opens August 2, 2017