Movie Review: In “Baby Driver,” music steals the show, 5/5 stars

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Official movie poster / Sony Pictures

CULLMAN – "Baby Driver," written and directed by Edgar Wright, is an action crime thriller starring Ansel Elgort, Jon Hamm, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Eiza Gonzalez and Jamie Foxx. The two biggest things this film has going for it are incredible car chase sequences and the soundtrack.

Wright manages to mix the film's soundtrack seamlessly with the action to make the car chases feel new and creative. The film also shows a lot of violence, but it isn't gratuitous and sometimes works in tandem with the soundtrack as well; it’s stylized by the director to keep the film fun for the most part.

Elgort turns out arguably the best performance of his young career as Baby, an extremely skilled get-away driver working for Kevin Spacey's character, Doc, in modern-day Atlanta. Wright takes advantage of multiple chase scenes to inject his sense of style into the film by making music a critical part of the chases themselves.

Baby suffers from an ear injury that causes him to hear a constant ringing sound, so he constantly listens to music to drown it out. The film benefits greatly by having a reason to keep a soundtrack of famous songs playing throughout the run time, and it also adds to Wright's stylized approach.

"Baby Driver" is one of the most thrilling, fun and original films you'll see this year thanks to great performances from all of the cast, beautifully shot action sequences, a memorable soundtrack and the aesthetic sensibilities of Wright.

Go see it. 5/5 stars.

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