Baby Driver (2017)

[rukaio101]

2 hours ago, Telemachos said:

So why did you guys like it?

I enjoyed it because it was effectively a crime caper by way of Hollywood musical. It melded the music in with the action so perfectly, every beat timed to the movement, every moment timed to the rhythm, it felt like the perfect mix of an adrenaline filled car chase and a finely choreographed musical number. That's not something you see that often and certainly not done as well as it was done here.

 

I'm not going to pretend the characters and story are particularly complex (although Deborah was the only one I really felt was paper thin), but I also think that was kinda the point? I'm kinda cribbing from Guillermo del Toro's twitter review of the movie here, but there is a sort of prince and princess fable-like atmosphere to the movie, mixed in with the rock n'roll grime. It give the whole thing a real sweet sincere edge beneath the flash.

 

Besides which, either way, this movie really is all about the style and that's not a bad thing in my eyes. It's clearly what the movie is focused on and it does it really damn well. One of my favourite moments wasn't even an action scene, but was when Baby was coming back with the coffee while listening to his music, after the opening car chase. The 'dance' was so well choreographed and there were were so many subtle moments references to the song in the background that it was more or less a fantastically choreographed treasure hunt. And besides which, I'd say there are enough funny moments and interesting characters to carry the film inbetween the 'musical numbers' if you will.

 

I'm not going to pretend it's perfect, there are quite a few things I could criticise here and there. But considering I'm usually not that fond of crime films, I thought this was a really fun ride.

 

[Plain Old Tele]

35 minutes ago, rukaio101 said:

One of my favourite moments wasn't even an action scene, but was when Baby was coming back with the coffee while listening to his music, after the opening car chase. The 'dance' was so well choreographed and there were were so many subtle moments references to the song in the background that it was more or less a fantastically choreographed treasure hunt.

 

That was the moment I felt like walking out, so that explains a good deal about why you liked it and why I'm considerably more mixed.  

[Claire of Themyscira]

My girl, Eiza, a woman of color, dies?

 

[WrathOfHan]

1 minute ago, Rey said:

My girl, Eiza, a woman of color, dies?

 

It's a very emotionally powering death though and escalates a lot of drama into the film.

[That One Girl]

2 minutes ago, Rey said:

My girl, Eiza, a woman of color, dies?

 

 

Yeah but like (spoilers)

 

everyone in the main cast of the movie dies except for Jon Bernthal's character (cause he's in it for like 5 mins), Baby, and Debora, so it's not really surprising when you look at it

[Plain Old Tele]

1 minute ago, WrathOfHan said:

It's a very emotionally powering death though and escalates a lot of drama into the film.

 

@Rey:

[Claire of Themyscira]

1 minute ago, WrathOfHan said:

It's a very emotionally powering death though and escalates a lot of drama into the film.

So, she's a plot device to propel the storylines of some white men?

 

[Claire of Themyscira]

Just now, Telemachos said:

@Rey:

 

I don't, especially when he stanned something like GITS.

[WrathOfHan]

3 minutes ago, Rey said:

I don't, especially when he stanned something like GITS.

Stan is a bit of a strong word. Tele was more defensive of GITS than I was, FWIW  

[Claire of Themyscira]

2 minutes ago, WrathOfHan said:

Stan is a bit of a strong word. Tele was more defensive of GITS than I was, FWIW.  

Oh, I think I remember now...

 

[Cmasterclay]

My GOD Ansel Elgort is boring in this. It's got some great, stylish set pieces and a colorful, propulsive energy and a grade-A Jamie Foxx performance (good to have you back dude) but the entire movie is built around Baby and I could not even give half a fuck about him as a character because Elgort isn't even 1/100th charismatic enough to elevate it above the bleh writing of him. James was boring too. I don't really care to see a couple pretty white kids play Bonnie and Clyde for the millionth time on film but at least if they had cast two people charismatic and likable it would have worked well with a strongly directed movie like this. Like cast Taron Egerton and Zoe Kravitz and this shit kinda rocks. But I was disappointed. Also some weird ass choices in the third act. Hamm does good acting but his character isn't built right for the role he plays at all. The movie dies when Foxx does. 

[Avatree]

Was he slow?

[4815162342]

7 hours ago, Rey said:

My girl, Eiza, a woman of color, dies?

 

 

She doesn't die first though... 

[Claire of Themyscira]

10 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

She doesn't die first though... 

So, she dies second? Lemme guess, Jamie Foxx, the only black actor, dies first?

[WrathOfHan]

26 minutes ago, Rey said:

So, she dies second? Lemme guess, Jamie Foxx, the only black actor, dies first?

No, she's the third, and Foxx is second. The Asian guy goes first early on.

[Claire of Themyscira]

10 minutes ago, WrathOfHan said:

No, she's the third, and Foxx is second. The Asian guy goes first early on.

So, all the people of color go first?

 

[That One Girl]

30 minutes ago, Rey said:

So, all the people of color go first?

 

 

If it makes it better, Jon Hamm's character has the worst death.

[Barnack]

On 6/28/2017 at 1:21 PM, Jay Hollywood said:

I wish we heard a ring or something when his head phones aren't in. 

 

Maybe it was your theater sound system (or a noisy crowd ?), at my showing it was almost systematic to hear a ring when the head phone were not in.

 

I don't know what to think of the movie yet, will need a rewatch but I didn't had has much fun I expected, below Hot Fuzz, had less energy I thought it would, some action scene were just great with a high level of craft but the movie achieved to feel long and the script always have hard time to install why he would continue to drive instead of just leave, didn't felt natural.

 

Maybe too many set piece, multiple heist crew + the gun deal going bad (maybe that one could have been condensed with something else) and maybe less drama between the supporting cast that do not pay off that much and use the time to develop more the waitress characther.

Edited June 30, 2017 by Barnack

[RobinHood26]

32 minutes ago, Barnack said:

 

Maybe it was your theater sound system (or a noisy crowd ?), at my showing it was almost systematic to hear a ring when the head phone were not in.

 

I don't know what to think of the movie yet, will need a rewatch but I didn't had has much fun I expected, below Hot Fuzz, had less energy I thought it would, some action scene were just great with a high level of craft but the movie achieved to feel long and the script always have hard to install why he would continue to drive instead of just leave, didn't felt natural.

 

Maybe too many set piece, multiple heist crew + the gun deal going bad (maybe that one could have been condensed with something else) and maybe less drama between the supporting cast that do not pay off that much and use the time to develop more the waitress characther.

 

You're like the 3rd person to quote me here hahaha you guys all skipped my next post where I explain what I actually meant/wanted it to do.  

 

 

On top of that I was debating if I heard it. I thought I did in the beginning a little at first but I never noticed it in the later half of the film I couldn't tell.

 

Him having them not in doesn't actually effect him all. The character shouldn't just want the head phones he should need it. they tell us why he needs it but we don't see it. Can he not think straight or even function. If his ear buds are out does he actually drive worse? we would like to guess so but were not sure, never showed. It ends up being a tad more gimmick then a actually necessary character trait. Even if its just a tiniest 1% amount it should cripple him somehow 

 

 

[BadAtGender]

Pristine craft and execution. Wright really considered just about everything. It's meticulous in its design and process. Major props especially to the sound design, which might be the best I've seen heard in a long time.

 

The criticisms of the characters are valid. I thought that the presentation of Baby in the early scenes was really good, but there isn't a lot of depth there. Elgort is fine, and James is pretty great, but neither is given anything particularly meaty to work with. The supporting roles, at least, are provided enough to ham it up for some enjoyment. Both Foxx and Hamm are pretty stellar, and Spacey hits the right vibe.

 

Not as many laughs as I'd expect from a Wright film, but there are some really, really good ones. 

 

It's a concept that really wouldn't work in the hands of another director who isn't a much of a perfectionist as Wright but in his hands, the film really does work.

 

4/5