Baby Driver

The Cornetto Trilogy and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World are getting an exhilarating – a hugely unalike – 20-years-in-the-making successor within the filmography of British director Edgar Wright.

Baby Driver follows the story of a young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) who finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail just after he decided he wanted out of the villainous business. Aside from his incredible driving skills – fully appreciated by his employer Doc (Kevin Spacey) – one thing that distinguishes Baby (that’s his name) is that he has a strong taste for music as he always boasts headphones, which is also a way for him to cover the damage done by tinnitus.

While at first glance the plot of the film sounds a bit phony, it seems that Edgar Wright managed to translate it into a visual feast and serious contender for this year’s best summer movie title. Even Stephen King called it “ultimately cool” – what more do we need to be convinced, really?

So what makes Baby Driver such an attractive feature, you may ask? Here’s our breakdown.

It has it all

What seems to make Baby Driver such a success among critics is that it is seen as a “thrill ride” that “has it all: thrills, laughs, sex, nonstop action, a killer soundtrack” and great performances from its cast.

All those factors tend to justify why the film is praised as an “awe-inspiring piece of filmmaking from Edgar Wright that plays out as a musical through the lens of an action thriller.”

In 2 words: “utterly original “.

Awesome car chases and soundtrack

Choreographed “with a precision to match anything in La La Land,” the combination of the movie’s soundtrack and its car scenes is “simply irresistible” – especially when it comes to the film’s “dazzling opening heist sequence” – which makes it a film “meticulously, ambitiously laid over the bones of carefully chosen tracks.”

Moreover, the “terrifically stylish piece of work with a banging soundtrack” is made of “breathtaking stunts” mostly done on camera, “which gives the action a you-are-there urgency that the digiverse can’t match.”

A perfect cast

In supporting roles we find Kevin Spacey, Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm, Lily James and Jamie Foxx, who make for “the film’s biggest strengths.” 

Spacey’s Doc is “funny” and “gifted with some of the best one-liners,” while Jon Hamm plays “to just the right side of clichéd comedic perfection.” As for Baby’s love interest, Deborah (portrayed by Lily James), she’s the “the perfect outlet for Baby’s unspoken desires,” although she “often has little agency of her own.”

Best quotes from the reviews:

“You won’t see a film like it this year.” – Terri White, Empire Magazine

“Now this is what I call a summer movie.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

“A terrifically stylish and exciting piece of work, a summer movie cool enough to induce brain freeze.” – Peter Bradshaw, the Guardian