Stars Ansel Elgort, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Elza Gonzalez, Lily James, and Kevin Spacey Directed by Edgar Wright Coming from director Edgar Wright, there would be certain expectation for some outlandish action and silly comedy. Wright has a passion for those elements in films and it is evident in his previous works from Shaun of the Dead (2004) through Scott Pilgrim vs The World (2010) and The World’s End (2013). For Baby Driver, he takes it one step further. Well, not really.... The pacing of the editing in his movies have always been spot on, but to have the entire movie synchronised to the music and soundtrack? The bar has been raised. The conceit for the tunes lies in his lead character, Baby (Ansel Elgort) who suffer from a ringing in his ears and uses music to drown it out. His passion for the tunes is infused into his daily life (from walking, running and anything else) and completely informs his driving. His skill behind the wheel makes him practically indispensable to heist planner, Doc (Kevin Spacey) who often uses different crews for heist jobs. Baby does the driving to pay off a debt and on his last job, he meets Bats (Jamie Foxx), an obviously unhinged individual. Things seem fine until Doc calls in one more favour and Baby has to figure out how to get out safely with his new girlfriend, Debora (Lily James). While the seasoned members of the cast do well enough (Spacey, Foxx, Hamm), the movie is carried by Elgort and the music. Baby does come across as meek at times, until the action kicks in and he’s in his element. The action is key to the movie but it’s the editing and pacing in line with he rhythm of the music that elevates the movie. Knowing that the movie was edited on the fly during filming and all the car stunts were done practically instead of using CG effects makes it all the more impressive. Add to that Wright’s own cinematic language. The director has been building his own unique signature visuals, particularly with the editing and transitions. His penchant and love for old fashioned cinematic action bits has informed the way he films his own action scenes, often with longer takes and less cutting or mixing, all to showcase the meticulous choreography and work put into it. just check out the opening scene here, and you can note the pacing and editing, as well as the sound design, matching the music’s rhythms. As a whole, the movie is a mini masterpiece and masterclass in editing and pacing while being an impressive action flick. The humour works in their moments and there an easy charm in the chemistry between Elgort and James as the lovebirds. Sure it goes to outlandish extremes as you’d expect from Wright, but it doesn’t get into the stratospheric ridiculousness of the Fast and Furious franchise. Wright manages to keep a few things grounded enough to ensure your utter enjoyment. Rating: ****/5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support.
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