Hi again, movie fans!
Today's review is one of my more challenging jobs: I need to convince you to see one of the most original bad guys movies of all time...and do so without giving away anything of substance! Harder task: How do I really describe the offbeat, one-of-a-kind film?
First, the title: Baby Driver: Huh? Baby is the young star in the sunglasses in the picture above. He's always wired into rock music. He's quiet. He's mysterious. He's kind...and lives in a very violent world. We get to know him through flashbacks. And through his silence.
Baby drives a car like no one can! You see, he's the getaway driver for the bad dudes who pull bank heists. When the heists take place, Baby is in the car dialing up his heavy rock, usually a song by Queen, getting ready to do amazing feats with the car.
Enticing? Hardly!
OK, I'm not a great fan of spinning car movies. Sure, I was glued to the screen when Gene Hackman chased the druggies in The French Connection, and I will never forget Steve McQueen driving the streets of San Francisco in Bullitt. But no movie can be based on great chase scenes alone.
The beauty of this film is that it does so much: It presents bad guys like you've never seen. Baddest of all: Keven Spacey. Second and third baddest: Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm. Poor Jon...will he ever stop being Don Draper in Mad Men? YES! He's finally out of that role with this film! He is downright wicked!
More: The movie presents a very touching and memorable love story. In the midsts of all the action, the young male protagonist, Baby, falls in love with the beautiful waitress played by Lily James. The love motif has a true Romeo and Juliet feel. Absolutely captivating.
Before long, it's the lovers on the run. Now the film is like Bonnie and Clyde! What?
Yeah, confusing. As I noted, this film does so much: It does love, crime, action, and even some witty comedy. It grabs you with plot, characters, music, dialog.
It grabs you and does not let go
Who plays the young dude who lives for his rock music? Ansel Engort. Who? He was apparently the lead in The Fault in our Stars, the film for teens about young folks dealing with serious illnesses. He's GREAT!
One reason you'll feel sympathy for the young man is that he's actually forced into the role of getaway driver. And he's so caring toward his elderly, mute foster father. He's just plain likable!
This film has been getting rave reviews. Online, it has a 97% approval rating. Viewers are abuzz about this unique work of art.
RUN out and see it....and watch folks on the RUN!
My rating: A+ A film that is unlike anything you've seen. Enjoy!
