[Review] Baby Driver: A Must-See for Action and Romance Fans Alike!
First, I'd like to thank Sony Pictures for inviting me to an advance screening of the long-awaited Baby Driver last month, and for sending a truly exquisite commemorative gift—a cassette tape. As I mentioned in a previous introductory article, I consider myself a fan of director Edgar Wright. This was my first time seeing his work in a cinema, and after watching it, I couldn't wait to see it a second time!!
Sony Pictures previously released the first six minutes of Baby Driver on their Facebook page, which truly is the simplest and most direct way to introduce audiences to the film's unique qualities and showcase its brilliance. From the very opening, Edgar Wright immediately demonstrates the story this film aims to tell and the characteristics of its protagonist, Baby (played by Ansel Elgort). This scene has no elaborate setup or dialogue, only the two vital elements of the film: music and car chases. From the outset, a major selling point of this film has been its classic songs and thrilling, exhilarating car chases, and the opening scene truly declares its intentions, showcasing the perfect fusion of music and stunt sequences.
The prelude of the chosen song first, in conjunction with the editing and the actors' movements, introduces several characters and displays Edgar Wright's signature humor and quirky playfulness. Then, the powerful rhythmic section of the music is paired with intense, exciting, and slick car escape scenes. As the music slows down, the camera and editing correspondingly decelerate, and the audience's breathing and heartbeat seem to be drawn along, slowing down with it. Thus, these short six minutes already demonstrate the film's excellence in screenplay, editing, cinematography, and music. Later, the scene where Baby buys coffee further exemplifies the film's cinematic prowess.
The screenplay for Baby Driver is not at all complicated, yet the characters are incredibly three-dimensional, and the script clearly establishes their personalities and backgrounds, making them believable. Although the film seems to market itself with numerous car chase sequences, the relationships between Baby and his girlfriend Debora (played by Lily James) and his foster father Joseph (played by CJ Jones) are incredibly moving. I particularly appreciate the scenes between Baby and Joseph, which are almost entirely conducted in sign language, without any dialogue, yet clearly convey their relationship and emotionally engage the audience. These emotional scenes not only tell the audience that this film offers more than just stunts—it has soul and emotion—but also fully demonstrate Edgar Wright's skill as a director in balancing the film's fast and slow rhythms, utilizing different scenes to completely control the audience's mood.
As for the love between Baby and Debora, while there are no tear-jerking, overly sentimental scenes, it possesses a distinct 70s and 80s flavor. Baby and Debora's scenes where they try to conceal their relationship are not only very tense, but the eye contact between them truly seems to scream, "A man in this life is not his own master." The film's ending might be a bit anti-climactic for some viewers, but it adheres to correct values without being overly preachy, which is quite commendable.
After watching Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy a few years ago, I believe many readers, like myself, went home and endlessly looped the classic songs from the film for years. This time, after watching Baby Driver, I immediately went home to loop the film's music, but the song I looped the most wasn't a classic hit; it was the incredibly creative and plot-crucial original song "Was he slow?" When this song first appeared, I thought it was just to showcase Baby's talent, but I never expected it to reappear later. Besides driving the plot forward, it also became the funniest and most memorable song in the film, fully demonstrating Edgar Wright's wicked, humorous style. The other music in the film is also thoughtfully chosen, giving the director an opportunity to share his favorite music collection with the audience.
Beyond the music, the film's art direction and set design are also incredibly meticulous. Scenes like the pizza place, the American diner, and the highway nightscapes subtly recall classic films like Goodfellas and Pulp Fiction. Of course, there's also Monsters, Inc., which is very important to the plot—those lines absolutely cracked me up. Additionally, Baby Driver continues Edgar Wright's signature vibrant color palette, especially in the laundromat scene where colorful fabrics are deliberately placed in each washing machine, making it exceptionally aesthetic and even more romantic. Furthermore, the film uses basic color combinations, such as red vehicles, neon lights, and clothing, to accompany tense and thrilling plotlines, simply yet effectively conveying a precise and intense feeling.
As I mentioned earlier, most of the characters in the film are very well-developed. Even though they rob banks and shoot innocent people, they are also deeply loyal and emotional individuals. Whether it's the protagonist Baby or "him" who later turns against them, they are all driven by the desire to protect their loved ones, which is quite romantic. And Baby, beyond being romantic, also shows great compassion for others, preferring to put himself in danger rather than harm innocent people, which shows they are not irredeemable villains, just people who made wrong decisions. Faced with the temptations of money and fame, can we maintain love for our partners and compassion for others?
In the film, Ansel Elgort, Lily James, and Jon Hamm all deliver satisfying performances, but the most surprising performance for me was ultimately Kevin Spacey's character. As a fan of House of Cards, I naturally know Kevin Spacey is an excellent actor, but I initially thought his character would be a relatively superficial villain without much depth. I never expected that later, with a plot twist, he would become one of the most brilliant characters in the film. This handling is incredibly bold and playful, yet it remains self-consistent and convincing to the audience. However, I felt that Jon Bernthal's screen time was too short, and Jamie Foxx's character was not significantly different from his previous roles, somewhat wasting these two actors.
A few years ago, Edgar Wright stepped down from directing Ant-Man, a project he had developed, due to creative differences. Although I still very much want to see his version of Ant-Man, his return to original work this time is truly exceptional, making Baby Driver his best film to date. Audiences in Hong Kong might not be very familiar with Edgar Wright's name, but I hope everyone trusts me this once—you absolutely must see Baby Driver!