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Baby Diver - an exceptionally crafted action movie


Every now and then, a movie comes along that offers a paradigm shift on the core premise of a genre. Think what Pizza did to the horror genre  (it is a cleverly crafted horror movie without any actual horror sequences in it); what Madras did to the north madras narrative (Ranjith transformed Madras to an awe-inspiring mileue that was far removed from the cliche of slum-dwellers-galore and social-outcasts-everywhere north madras that Tamil movies portrayed for years at end).
Well, Baby Driver is that kind of a movie. It is actually a one of it's kind movie. Baby Driver is perhaps the best Hollywood movie of the year. I have not watched a whole lot of Hollywood movies this year, so I cant be objective. But it is surely the best Hollywood movie that I have watched this year.
So, what's special about Baby Driver? Two words - The soundtrack. Or should I say soundtracks, coz the movie uses so many, painstakingly hand-picked tunes to fit into the narrative. The gist of Baby Driver is a fairly simple story about a young heist getaway driver who is trying to get away from his path of crime. No non-linear story-telling, no multi-layered character sketch, not many set-piece action sequences.  Like I mentioned, simple story. Yet, there are so many exceptional sequences in the film. Starting with the robbery and getaway in the opening scene, the coffee shop sequence with the superbly choreographed song along with the title cards, the exchanges between Baby and Deborah at the Diner and the climatic action sequence are all beautifully crafted with phenomenal soundtracks belting in the background, and sometimes in the foreground too.
Excellent casting, tight screenplay and flawless execution makes Baby Driver a fascinating watch. Can stereotypical, car-chase-car set-piece action stacks be so much fun? Well, go see Baby Driver and find out for yourself.

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