Written and directed by Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz filmmaker Wright, Baby Driver brings together an impressive cast for a thriller that stars Ansel Elgort (The Fault In Our Stars) as a talented getaway driver who relies on music to get the job done. The trailer doesn’t disappoint,teasing a fast-paced movie that’s equal parts great music, big laughs, and wild action.
Along with Elgort as the title character — whose young face earns him the nickname “Baby” — the Sony Pictures film also stars Kevin Spacey (The Usual Suspects) as a ruthless crime boss, Lily James (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) as the girl who prompts Baby to get out of the getaway game, and Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained) as a frustrated criminal named “Bats.” The supporting cast also includes Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Eiza Gonzalez (Jem and the Holograms), and Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead).
Early screenings of Baby Driver during the recent South by Southwest Film Festival yielded reviews describing the film as something akin to 2011’s Drive, but with more music and comedy.
Wright’s previous films have all pushed the boundaries of their respective genres, so it will be interesting to see whether Baby Driver does the same for heist films. The film’s cast — which includes a pair of Academy Award winners in Spacey and Foxx, and a two-time Golden Globe Award winner in Hamm — certainly doesn’t hurt its appeal.
Baby Driver hits theaters August 11.
