Baby Driver: Mastering the Art of Music with Motion
‘Baby Driver’ directed by Edgar Wright is a musical action movie about Baby, a young and very talented car thief with tinnitus who uses his preferred music during robbery to block out the noise. He owes Doc something and has to do one final job for him; a robbery that jeopardises his new life, new lover Debora and his attempt at redemption.
There is the constant touch of the possibility for redemption, freedom for love but also diametric opposition of good and evil. The film has elements of adventure and romance wrapped around a comedic package for that extra oomph feeling of intense emotion. Music plays an important role; it acts here as a measure of the characters’ feelings, and as a part of the plot; accelerating or slowing down the action.
Ansel Elgort can be mentioned as the star cast in the movie as Baby showing a delicate and profound acting. He depicts the life of a young man who switches between the life of a villain and a lover. Lily James plays with him as Debora and looks very posed and beautiful. While Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx are intense and unpredictable in their villain parts making the part interesting and sinister. Kevin Spacey ‘Doc All-American’ villainous performance is quite subtle but effective at the same time, while the hero scarcely emotes yet is engaging enough.
Edgar Wright in his directing style ensures that both action and music are well-coordinated and synchronized making it look like every scene is well-rehearsed. What could have been just a heist film is given a new vibe and energy by the director and his signature style.
Music is used not just as ambiance in ‘Baby Driver’; it plays a major character. The music score is also completely varied and active, turning pursuits into orchestral concerts and making it thrilling. Every song selection looks planned to create an empathy and story arc in the movie.
The visuals are bright and energetic, with shots and hues which add to the film’s pacing. Chase sequences aren’t as convoluted and haphazard as those in Baby Driver; instead, Sean Bobbitt compounds the excitement with a sense of reality; the viewer is aware of the car’s speed as well as the characters’ predicament, making the scenes rather palpable.
Based in an unspecified Southern town that bears more than a passing resemblance to Atlanta, Hannah Beachler’s production design keeps the thrilling stunts rooted in realistic The use of sound in ‘Baby Driver’ is breathtaking whether it is in diners, city streets or even in the car chases, realism is mixed with highly stylized acts.
In fact, the special effects used in the film ‘Baby Driver’ are well done but not overused with car chases that are done practically and not through the green screen technology. The stunts, however realistic, augment this ground level element, which is part of the overall experience of reality.
The music and sound effects are impressive and in addition to the visuals, the editing is excellent by Paul Machliss. Transitions and cuts mimic beats and the tempo of the music, allowing the story to move forward at a pace similar to that of the movie’s energy level.
’Baby Driver’ does not let its viewers get bored from the beginning to the end of the movie. As is usual with Wright, there is constant action and energy with action sequences punctuated with emphasis on characterization and feelings.
The screenplay is full of humor with excellent dialogues written in Wright style. The dialogues are crisp, especially as they help the further evolution of the characters and serve to remind the audience that while the movie features criminals, much of it is actually a comedy.
Thus, while ‘’Baby Driver’’ shines through in many aspects of filmmaking, its storyline is somewhat unoriginal due to its adherence to the conventional heist narrative. Some of the character arcs are underdeveloped and introduce layers to motivations and relationships could have been expanded. But one cannot undermine the fact that the film is original in terms of it execution.
In ‘Baby Driver,’ the use of sound and musicianship in tandem is innovative and amazing. In that regards its more than just extraordinary and proves that Edgar Wright is visionary in storytelling and films are primarily sensory experiences. The film elicits happiness and afterwards one is proud that music has the ability to turn visuals into something special.
