This film revives the age-old cinematic debate between substance and style.  Baby Driver, which borrows its title from a Simon and Garfunkel song (which plays over the closing credits), is adrenalized with style.  It’s a good looking film with good looking people in it, full of action and choreography matched to the rhythms of the multitude of songs on the buzzy soundtrack.  If Bob Fosse had been an action director he might have come up with something like this — as might Alfred Hitchcock had he been born ninety years later and developed a taste for hot driving.

Edgar Wright’s film is indeed full of style, from the long, complicated opening shot to the jaunty subtitles utilized by Baby (Ansel Elgort) and his adoptive father Joseph (C. J. Jones).  Its style certainly sets the tone early, although the light-heartedness with which the story is told gradually shifts to an ominous, then violent conclusion.  Ultimately viewers must decide for themselves whether the style can carry the film past a heist-doomed-to-fail / damsel-in-distress storyline that is as contrived as can be.  I usually choose and recommend strong content over style, yet even I was beguiled by the film’s first half, maybe even two-thirds.

Frankly, I don’t care for the final act at all; some of the characters turn disturbingly homicidal.  The big shootout in Atlanta doesn’t seem realistic or properly motivated to me, and I would not term so much vengeful destruction entertaining.  If chaos like this were reported on the news, viewers around the country would be appalled.  Yes, I know it’s a movie, but it isn’t cool; what’s cool is to get away with something cleanly and cleverly, using brains instead of brawn.  This movie is cool for a long time, and then it isn’t anymore.

So I wrestle with my feelings about it.  I genuinely like the characterizations — Elgort, Lily James, Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Eiza Gonzalez and Jones are all first-rate.  The stunts and stunt driving are great, and I’ve never seen a movie stay so in tune with its song soundtrack for so long.  Most song soundtrack movies use their songs to set emotional tones (and often nostalgia) for specific scenes; here, the music drives the action, keeping everything in rhythm and moving forward.  I even like heist stories, as long as they are well thought out and fresh.  While I didn’t care for the way the story wraps up, I have to admit that Baby Driver is compelling pretty much all the way through.  If you like spectacular car chases and intense crime drama you will probably love Baby Driver.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  4 July 2017.