Baby Driver is a weird hybrid: it's equal parts action picture and movie musical. It's also one of the most entertaining movies of the year and out now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD.
Baby Driver is a weird hybrid: it's equal parts action picture and movie musical. It's also one of the most entertaining movies of the year and out now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD.
The last time we checked in with writer/director Edgar Wright, he was talking about the home video release of The World's End and getting ready to go to work on Marvel's Ant-Man. Wright's irrepressible vision has brought us such contemporary classics as Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World but that vision was too singular for the Marvel factory.
He left that film, picked himself up and dusted off the idea for Baby Driver. Sony's TriStar pictures gave him the freedom and control to make a movie based on an original idea and Wright surprised everyone by delivering one of the few genuine hit movies of 2017.
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Ansel Elgort plays Baby, a young getaway driver who's working off a debt to Doc (Kevin Spacey) by handling the transpo for a series of heists in Atlanta. Baby also has tinnitus from a childhood incident and drowns out the ringing in his ears by blasting music from his vintage iPods.
Doc rotates crews for each job and his rogues gallery of robbers includes Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Eiza González, Jon Bernthal and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Baby falls in love with Debora (Lily James), a waitress at the diner where his late mother once worked.
The plot is standard-issue heist movie stuff, but it's the execution that makes all the difference here. The constant pulse of music through the movie and the ridiculously good action sequences make this the first movie that pays equal homage to Bullitt and Singin' in the Rain.
Also, it's the best Atlanta movie since John Huston starred in The Visitor way back in 1979. Wright took care to get the details right. The movie is actually shot in the neighborhoods the characters are talking about, they get their coffee from Octane and Baby tunes a stolen car's radio to 97.1 The River for a rock fix after his iPod gets smashed. Most movies shot in Georgia are faking some other location. It's nice to see a movie adapt itself to the local culture.
The movie comes with a ridiculous number of bonus features (over two hours), including several that give specific and useful detail about how Wright and his team put together the movie. There's an amazingly detailed commentary from the director. If you're interested in learning how to make movies, this disc is a probably far more effective than those $100 "Master Class" courses that are endlessly advertised on YouTube pre-roll commercials.
Check out the full list of extras, available with both the Blu-ray and Digital versions.
- Extended/Deleted Scenes - 20 minutes of extended scenes and a few moments that were dropped from the final cut.
- Mozart In A Go-Kart: Ansel Drives - Ride shotgun with star Ansel Elgort as he works with the talented stunt drivers to become the ultimate getaway driver.
- I Need A Killer Track: The Music - Explore how the film's phenomenal soundtrack dictated both the writing process and all aspects of production on Baby Driver.
- That's My Baby: Edgar Wright - Follow Edgar Wright's vision of Baby Driver from its inception two decades ago, to its ultimate realization on the big screen.
- Meet Your New Crew: Doc's Gang - Led by powerhouse Kevin Spacey, the cast assembled to form Doc's gang is perfectly constructed with stars like Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm as well as up and coming talent like Eiza González and Jon Bernthal. Go behind the scenes to see this talented group at work as they bring these characters to life.
- Find Something Funky On There: The Choreography - With every frame of Baby Driver set to a specific beat it took precise choreography by the cast, crew and editors to create a cinematic dance like nothing that's been done before. Hear from the choreographer and filmmakers on this groundbreaking process.
- Devil Behind The Wheel: The Car Chases - From closing down Atlanta's interstates to creating eyepopping maneuvers for a variety of vehicles, witness the amazing craftsmanship and sheer determination that made the film's incredible car chases possible.
- Animatics - Check out over 35 minutes of the numerous pre-vis animatics developed by Edgar Wright as part of his meticulous preparation.
- Ansel Elgort Audition - See firsthand the audition that proved without a doubt that Ansel Elgort was the perfect choice for Baby.
- Annotated Coffee Run Rehearsal - Day one of production involved one of the film's most elaborately choreographed sequences where every movement is carefully crafted. Check out the preliminary rehearsal and see the behind the scenes movement in concert with Ansel Elgort's on camera choreography.
- Hair, Make Up & Costume Tests - In this stylized montage, witness the transformation of the actors through costume, hair and make-up tests.
- Mint Royale - "Blue Song" Music Video - This music video directed by Edgar years ago for the band Mint Royale showcases some early inspiration for Baby Driver.
- Complete Storyboard Gallery - See the elaborate storyboards developed for the film in this gallery featuring storyboards for the entire film.
- Director Commentary
- Filmmaker Commentary (Edgar Wright and Director of Photography Bill Pope)
