Edgar Wright’s new film Baby Driver is the perfect antidote to the Fast and Furious

Enlarge / L to R: Jon Bernthal, Eiza González, Ansel Elgort, and Jon Hamm have just robbed a bank. (credit: Working Title)

Baby Driver is the new film from Edgar Wright opening in theaters this week. I'm here to tell you it's jolly, jolly good. Consider it an old-school, analogue, manual transmission alternative to the CGI, self-driving car nonsense that was the most recent Fast and Furious movie, if you will.

With that out of the way, let's unpack a little more. Written and directed by the brain that gave us Spaced, Shaun of the Dead (and the rest of the Cornetto trilogy), and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the film is a heist caper that focuses on the role of the getaway driver—the titular Baby, played by Ansel Elgort. Orphaned at a young age, he learned to boost cars and drive them with no small measure of skill. But one day he stole the wrong car, one belonging to criminal mastermind Doc (Kevin Spacey); one carrying a rather valuable cargo that left Baby in hock and working heists to pay off his debt.

Baby is an unlikely member of Doc's constantly rotating crew of tooled-up robbers, one the others (including memorable roles from Jamie Foxx, Jon Bernthal, Eiza González, and Jon Hamm) don't exactly trust. He's a quiet chap, eyes hidden behind dollar-store sunglasses, white Apple earbuds almost permanently affixed to his ears. The reason for the latter is a case of tinnitus—the result of the same car crash that orphaned him—and also the excuse for the movie's relentless, deep-cut soundtrack. But despite his youthful looks and semi-detached presence in the briefings, it quickly becomes clear there's no one else you'd rather have behind the wheel.