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Our movie reviewer, John McCann, says Edgar Wright’s ‘Baby Driver’ is a gallant effort, but…
Long time labour of love for the director of the superb Cornetto trilogy Edgar Wright, ‘Baby Driver’ sees the British filmmaker’s first venture into the big budget Hollywood movie sphere.
The film tells the tale of talented, young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) who relies heavily on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the business. But after being forced into working for a hard-nosed crime boss (Kevin Spacey), he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens all he holds dear.
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With an opening sequence that resembled early Tarantino and an introductory car chase that made the famous Blues Brothers car chase scene look like something from ‘Driving Miss Daisy’, the initial signs were very promising that Wright would indeed crack this particular Hollywood nut.
Jamie Foxx and Ansel Elgort in ‘Baby Driver’.
That coupled with an extraordinary soundtrack and stellar cast added to what seemed to building to a memorable and unforgettable film.
Unfortunately though, that opening energy, zest and coolness did seem to fade as the film progressed, as the potential shown at the beginning never really materialised and in some cases the film descended into farcical proportions.
What appears like a very interesting premise driven by some great scenes and a mesmerising soundtrack in this instance seems to be a case of the whole not being greater than the sums of its parts as all components don’t quite add up to make this film as great as it could undoubtedly have been.
There is a lot to admire about this film too however, as the entertainment value is relatively high and the stunt scenes are among the best you’ll see on screen this year with added touches of humour that hit more often than miss, with Jamie Foxx stealing most of the best lines.
Ansel Elgort also does a sterling job as “Baby”, a role that may have been less convincing (and possibly more annoying) in the hands of a lesser talent.
In the end though, it just all seems that bit fruitless and yet whilst it doesn’t hit the heights that this brilliant director has shown he can achieve in the past it still remains a most gallant effort!
3.5/5
For more of John McCann’s movie reviews, check out his Facebook page here and website here
