Baby DriverDirected: Edgar WrightStarring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jon Hamm, Eiza González, Jamie FoxxRating: ★★½

FILM REVIEW
by CONOR ROSS

Edgar Wright (director of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead) showcases his cinematic influences proudly, and his latest film, Baby Driver, is no exception.

He channels classic thriller and heist films like Heat and Drive, though not always to the movie's benefit.

This rock and roll-fuelled creation places Ansel Elgort behind the wheel as Baby, the reluctant getaway driver for a ragtag group of bank robbers (played by an all-star cast of Jon Hamm, Kevin Spacey, Eiza González, and Jamie Foxx).

Baby is a wayward kid who has lost his parents and then himself in the criminal world, always "one job away" from freedom.

He follows the tried-and-tested trope of the silent but strong type with a troubled past and a heart of gold, who eventually wins over the girl who sees him for who he really is. If you feel like you might have watched this exact plot before, you probably have.

Suffering from severe tinnitus (a constant ringing sound in the ears) from the car crash that killed his parents, Baby drowns it out by listening to a music collection a 43-year-old would be proud of. Wright supposedly envisaged this film when he first started driving as a teenager, which explains why the film comes across as a contrived, adolescent daydream.

The movie feels like less of a heartfelt tribute to Wright's favourite music and heist films and more of a horrific Frankenstein's monster. It is glued together with clichés and overdone tropes, stumbling down a formulaic plot that is all too familiar.

If Picasso's words are true and "good artists borrow; great artists steal", then Wright has been caught red-handed.

To give the film credit, the action-packed car chase scenes are fantastic technical feats captured with engaging cinematography, and they work well with the soundtrack. The only issue is that the audio-visual synchronisation, which works well when used sparingly, quickly begins ruining the immersion.

For example, the jarring synchronisation between percussion and bullets only serve the film as self-congratulatory pats on the back.

As impressive as the chase scenes are, they aren't enough to carry the movie through the scenes outside of the car, the shoehorned romance, or the subservient and inconsistent side characters.

Baby Driver boasts a generally enjoyable 30-song soundtrack, including Queen, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Beach Boys.

It was used heavily in the marketing of the film, but in retrospect perhaps Wright should have prioritised writing and character development over song clearances.