Baby (Ansel Elgort) is the self-given name of a musically talented young man who’s a getaway heist driver. He suffers from tinnitus, donning ear buds connected to an old-school iPod chock full of mixes that he created to help block out the constant ringing in his ears. We know from the get-go that sunglassed Baby is troubled, as he doesn’t mix well with the heist teams that are formed by Doc (Kevin Spacey), a man Baby stole from as a teen; thus he’s been paying off the debt in return. Baby’s persona does garner trouble. Secretly, Baby wants out of the heists and tells Doc they’re even with the next job.
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The romantic thread is woven by use of an old-school diner with a singing songbird waitress named Debora—Cinderella’s (2015) own Lily James. To say that Baby is smitten with her from first sight is an understatement—Baby is head over heels in love and shares her stated goal: “All I want to do is head west on the 20 in a car I can’t afford with a plan I don’t have.”
The Bottom-Line? Edgar Wright’s creative mix of music with everyday sounds has upped the bar in filmmaking. The choreographing of chase-scene driving with musical beats and sounds produces exhilarating sequences. I can also recommend downloading the spectacular soundtrack. Notably, we’re now privy to a new kind of chase driver, one with a good heart and a musical soul.
Cast: Ansel (Baby), Kevin Spacey (Doc), Lily James (Deborah), Eiza Gonzalez (Darling), Jon Hamm (Buddy), Jamie Foxx (Bats)
Credits: Directed and written by Edgar Wright
Studio: Sony Pictures
Run Time: 1 hour 53 minutes