Monday, July 03, 2017

Tonight's Movie: Baby Driver (2017)

From the opening minutes of BABY DRIVER (2017), featuring a beautifully edited and scored bank heist/car chase sequence, it's clear this will be a different kind of crime movie, putting a fresh spin on a familiar genre.

Almost every frame of the film is set to music, just as the film's young protagonist, Baby (Ansel Elgort), surrounds himself with music at all times.

Baby was orphaned at a young age in an accident which left him with permanent ringing in his ears -- hence the music, to drown out the noise. The music also inspires his fast, precise driving, to the extent that when the start of a robbery plan is delayed, he has to restart his music before the heist can take place.

Baby, who was raised by a deaf black man named Joe (C.J. Jones), is beholden to a crime boss named Doc (Kevin Spacey). Baby, who Doc calls "Mozart with a go-cart," is forced to act as a getaway driver in order to pay off a debt to Doc. But will Doc let his "good luck charm" go when they're even?

Baby longs to hit the road to freedom with his waitress sweetie, Debora (Lily James), but first he's got to do the proverbial "one last job" for Doc with Buddy (Jon Hamm) and his wife Darling (Eiza Gonzalez) and the very dangerous Bats (Jamie Foxx).

Written and directed by Edgar Wright, BABY DRIVER is on one level a classic heist film, in the vein of movies like CHARLEY VARRICK (1973), while also borrowing heavily from other filmmakers and genres. At the same time it's a completely unique, colorful "car chase musical," with the action sequences edited to a background of pop songs.

A sequence with laundromat dryers, each tumbling sheets with a different primary color, called to mind the candybox look of Jacques Demy musicals. When I got home I searched Twitter and found a Tweet which said it's "the action movie Jacques Demy never made." Pretty much.

Director Guillermo del Toro, an admirer of the film, said it's "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS on wheels." I don't think I'd go that far, but his description definitely intrigued me enough to want to see it.

del Toro also said the film has "its very own Disney prince and princess"; perhaps then it's not a coincidence that leading lady Lily James was Disney's live-action CINDERELLA (2015)!

It might also not be a coincidence that Gonzalez plays "Darling," a name straight out of LADY AND THE TRAMP (1955). The movie even works in a running joke from MONSTERS, INC. (2001), made possible by the intervention of Pixar's Pete Docter.

The film is so visually enticing and fun to watch and listen to that we don't mind the unanswered questions too much. For instance, who exactly is "Doc," and why would a genius mastermind bring in a wildcard like Bats to a job? Criminal beggars can't be choosers?

Baby clearly doesn't like some of what he's involved with, but there were lingering questions in my mind about his background and just how much he had to be forced into the jobs. Is caring for Joe supposed to atone for the bad things he's done? The film does address the question of justice near the end, so that viewers won't feel guilty rooting for Baby and Debora.

The cast is terrific, especially Jon Hamm as Buddy, whose Achilles' heel is his passion for Darling. Mess with Darling and you won't want to see Buddy, ever. It's a memorable big screen role for TV's erstwhile Don Draper.

BABY DRIVER was filmed by Bill Pope. It should be noted that this 113-minute movie was made with the heavy use of practical effects and stunt driving rather than CGI, another mark in its favor.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated R for plentiful bad language and violence; it's bloody but not especially gory.

A trailer is at IMDb or the film's official site.

At a time when so many movies are remakes or part of a series, it's quite refreshing to see a movie which dares to be different. I really enjoyed BABY DRIVER and will want to see it again in the future.


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