2017 | Auteur Theory

Directed by: Edgar Wright

Cast: Ansel Elgort [Baby], Lily James [Deborah], Kevin Spacey [Doc]

Music-lover and getaway driver, Baby, is the driver of choice for heist mastermind Doc. Baby ensures that Doc’s assignments of violent, bank robberies with cronies he chooses to get in and out before it’s too late, with the perfect soundtrack picked by him for every job. Wanting to finish the job off finally with one last task so that he can escape with Deborah, a diner waitress, Baby faces obstacles along the way.

My rating: 8/10

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Narrative aspects

The aspect of this film that keeps an audience member on the edge of their seat to find out what comes next is to know about the whole story regarding Baby, how Doc met up with him and why is he so musically inclined. The film cleverly fills in these details one bit at a time to keep the audience captivated enough to remain on their seats to watch it, like showing flashbacks of getting his first iPod as a gift for his birthday or showing the car ride that led to the accident that changed his life as a child. The first time that is shown, the shot cuts right before any damage is done, but the next time it is brought back it plays out until the car crashes into the lorry right in front of it. The film reinforces his trauma as a child, which then sort of points to being the reason of how he is as a grown individual. When Doc instructs that he “need[s] to sunset that ride” (32 minutes into the film), he watches the car being crushed at the junk-site with fear at remembering the accident. He sees the sadness of his childhood in everything, in almost every song he hears because his mom loved music and sang. Baby goes on to play ‘Easy’ by Lionel Richie on his music player, which is a good calming song for the background though later, viewers would realise its significance and link to the accident later on.

This film is written around the songs, unlike many others who insert songs into the story later on. Edgar Wright, director and writer of the film, stated in an interview that the inspiration for ‘Baby Driver’ came from listening to a song and imagined it being perfect for a car chase. Then Wright went on to mention that he thought of an idea that a car-getaway driver who needs the perfect song for his driving trips. This creates an interesting set up for each scene since the songs are so apt for every moment.

See ‘Baby Driver – SFX (Digital Trends)’ in the further references section below for more

Infer & Deduce: At first the title of the film may seem obscure, though after watching it does it grow clearer about its meaning and origin. One way the title ‘Baby Driver’ could be looked at is that his code name in the film is “Baby” (real name being “Miles”, appropriately picked out), while his job involves being a driver for a rotating group of robbers. Another way could be considering that he is a young guy and perhaps the youngest of the group everytime Doc, the leader, picks out a new team. At one moment in the film, Doc refers to Miles as “The baby of the bunch”, reinstating that this explanation could be plausible. However, as evidently clear from the last song of the film, the title could have come from ‘Baby driver’ by Simon and Garfunkel. Ignoring the first two lines of the song, some parallels could be drawn to the protagonist of the film:

My daddy was the family bassman
My mamma was an engineer
And I was born one dark gray morn
With music coming in my ears
In my ears

They call me Baby Driver
And once upon a pair of wheels
I hit the road and I’m gone
What’s my number
I wonder how your engines feel
Ba ba ba ba
Scoot down the road
What’s my number
I wonder how your engines feel

Technical Aspects

The variety of camera shots, movements and editing are diverse. As with any film, the use of close-ups signify the deeper emotions while panning the camera shows the entire setting and characters conversing, for example. Some of the transition editing techniques in this film are brilliantly done, blending two scenes together seamlessly, like a car passing by the screen which acts as a medium from one scene to another (acting like a wipe transition). Mostly consisting of cut-to transitions, there is a balance between these and the more longer scenes. While quick jump cuts are used for the car-chase scenes, the lengthier usually one-take shots are used for the normal and sort of ‘household’ scenes at his home or the diner. This could emphasise on Baby’s emotions felt through every scene, while being rushed with adrenaline pumping through his veins during the heist jobs (resulting in the concise shots) and a more calmed and relaxed feel other times.

Another phenomenal technical aspect in this film is how the songs are synced to perfection in every moment. They apply beautifully to the mood created in each scene and to add on, the editing of each song fits with the beat as well as the nature of the song, whether fast or slow. For example, the opening scene where Baby and the gang he’s working with are sitting in the car waiting for the right moment to start their attack on the bank, the editing cuts at the right moment in-sync with the song, a tune that is upbeat and energetic, ‘BellBottoms’ by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. To counter, the last scene has his mother’s cover of ‘Easy’ by Lionel Richie playing as they drive along the country with lines of trees on either side of the road. The shots are lengthened and serene, which fits the mood of the song. Additionally, the film intelligently uses the entire song for its scenes and in some cases extends the scene or shortens it in post-production to better fit the song.

Favourite Scene

The scene involving the iconic car chase and Baby lip-singing to the perfect song for the mood is probably the key choice for many people, though personally, the scene after the car chase where Baby goes out to get coffee for his colleagues is a favourite.

It may seem normal and casual for a picked-out scene, but the use of a one-take shot as well as the choreography to sync the lyrics of the song Baby listening to with keywords showing up on buildings walls, the road and lamp posts is phenomenal. Using the funky and ‘groovy’ song by ‘Harlem Shuffle’ by Bob & Earl, the camera and audience follow Baby across the streets of a section of Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. Though completing a close-to-daily errand, the audience clearly realises that every moment in Baby’s life deserves a song to go along with. From the beginning of the movie through this scene, he is portrayed as a character with good musical taste and a sense of timing as if every moment in his life is rehearsed. Like me, many other watchers of this film would after a few moments into the scene realise that there are words placed around as light ‘Easter Eggs’ that literally depict the lyrics of the song. Moreover, the scene starts with what looks like an abandoned building used for planning heist and ends a the exact same spot, taking the audience on a tour of the street block.

Another very interesting point of this scene is when Baby enters the coffee shop, he removes one of his earphones from his ear to hear the barista clearly. It is a subtle difference but when examined closely, the music’s volume fades a little, enough for the audience to understand the exchange of dialogue. Then once Baby puts on the earphone again, the volume is restored to its initial level. This minor detail makes it clear that the music in this scene is not just background ambience to add a lively effect to the moment but actually viewing the setting and the situation from Baby’s point of view. The audience experience what he can and cannot hear, making it a personal encounter and deepen the understanding of his character, from the very beginning of the film. It is a moment where there is a thin line between diegetic sound and non-diegetic sound. The source is clearly shown on screen as being the headphones through the music sounds like any non-diegetic sound, like a narrative voice-over.

What would I do differently?

This film captures action and crime in a very different way than others of the similar kind. Through the use of classical, old music, many in the audience may feel connected with Baby and enjoy the ‘blast to the past’. If I had to pick out on the smallest of details, I may have focused more on Baby’s disability to hear properly and put in some first-person point of view shots when he’s listening to Doc and the other members plan out their strategies. A scene example would be that the camera placed as if from his point of view, as non-diegetic music plays in the background coupled with muffled voices, where all the characters turn to look his way and he removes his earphones from being conscious. As his earphone move away, the sound fades with it.

This could highlight his disability and how he does not let it stop him from doing his job, and uses it to his own advantage. Moreover, the audience may feel more inclined towards understanding Baby and the choices he makes, along with the flashbacks shown of the accident involving him and his parents.

The director and writers of this film are brilliant and have played out the scenes in the most logical and concise way, with giving the audience just the right amount of what they need. As a whole, I would really not want to change anything.