Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
This is Baby Driver, and this movie is way cooler
than it has any business being.
The film is very unique.
The main reason for that is in how
Baby Driver's director, Edgar Wright,
sets up the titular role of Baby.
Your name's Baby?
B-A-B-Y Baby?
It's very seldom that you see a character set up
using stunts to tell you everything
you need to know about them.
In the opening of the film, Edgar Wright
choreographs a captivating vehicular ballet,
bursting at the seams with the kind of intensity
that shocks us, intrigues us, draws us in, and leaves
us wanting more.
But before we get into this, be sure to like
and subscribe to Nerdstalgic if you haven't done so already.
Baby Driver, released in 2017, is the fifth film
directed by Edgar Wright.
Baby Driver's story is centered around the titular character
of Baby as he navigates a world of crime
while working his way out from under the thumb
of a dangerous crime boss as a getaway driver for bank heists.
It's fast paced, fun, stylish, intense,
and full of amazing music.
This [BLEEP] is bananas, dog.
Stunt work is an often overlooked and underappreciated
element of the filmmaking process.
When we go to see a film, we don't really say to ourselves,
"oh my God, Darren Prescott was the stunt coordinator for this,
now I really have to see it."
However, stunt persons and stunt work
provide us with the wow factor we seek when we go to a film.
The fantastic feats we observe our main characters
as being capable of are actually the result
of large teams of performers who put their lives on the line
on a daily basis.
In the case of Baby Driver, that work
is the result of around 150 people working tirelessly
to deliver some seriously intricate vehicular
moves to set the hook on the film's core premise.
Baby Driver's stunt coordinator was none other
than the aforementioned Darren Prescott.
He was the stunt coordinator for the John Wick movies, Drive,
the Bourne Supremacy, and the Bourne Ultimatum.
The list goes on and on, but he's
an extremely sought after stunt coordinator.
And it's because of his ability to seamlessly integrate
his work in line with these sort of action auteur's vision.
He understands exactly what directors are going for,
and he delivers time and time again.
He isn't just rigging explosions and throwing
his workers off of buildings.
He is telling stories through stunts.
While you can find spectacular stunt work
in just about any given big budget Hollywood blockbuster,
they are seldom used to set up a character.
This is even less frequent when that stunt work is
done behind the wheel of a car.
However, Edgar Wright, Darren Prescott,
and a team of stunt drivers are somehow
able to deliver an incredible amount of character set up
using cars, music, and editing.
This opening scene of Baby Driver
was conceived from a music video that Edgar Wright directed
in 2003.
Long before Shaun of the Dead even hit theaters.
In the music video for "Blue Song" by Mint Royale,
we see an almost identical sequence
to what is seen at the top of Baby Driver.
Edgar Wright utilizes a technique
referred to as diegetic sound or diegetic editing
in which the music and sounds we hear
become an established part of the narrative.
Edgar Wright is one of the absolute masters
of using diegetic sound to his advantage.
The top of the scene is not so much a stunt spectacular,
but it does set us up for what is to come.
The tale of the savant getaway driver
has been told many, many times before.
So in order to deliver something unique,
you need a director with style, vision, and panache.
Edgar Wright delivers all three in spades time and time again.
From the moment, these three bank robbers get out
of the car, all eyes are on Baby as he cues up
a song in preparation for the inevitable getaway that
is to ensue.
This feels like something straight out of a Fred Astaire
film with Baby and the getaway car
in a carefully choreographed dance giving us insight
into a character who seems playful
and maybe a little too nonchalant given
his involvement in the high stakes bank robbery going on
across the street.
It's almost a little silly, and we
start to get lost in the charming peculiarity of it all.
This is intentional, because once that rhythm is
interrupted, by the sound of gunshots,
we immediately hone in on Baby's pressing concern for what
is happening inside the bank.
It's our first glimpse into this character's ability
to empathize with others, which is something
we see grow and develop throughout the course
of the film.
Once he feels like everyone is OK,
the music picks up briefly, only to be interrupted once more
by the sounds of a bank alarm and police sirens.
Once again, we are pulled out of our trance
and are immediately thrust into the action at hand.
Our first key piece of character development through stunts
comes right away.
Jon Bernthal's character points forward,
and instead of heeding that command,
Baby spins the car in the opposite direction.
This not only shows us that when Baby
is behind the wheel of a car, he is in charge.
It demonstrates a high level of situational awareness
and the focus of a laser beam.
Edgar Wright's stylistic approach to editing
really shines in this sequence.
The rising odometer, aggressive shifting, the sunglasses,
it's all setting the tone for the adrenaline charged
life or death police chase that is about to ensue.
When Baby cuts off this delivery truck
to barely squeeze into the alley,
we understand immediately that this
is a character who will take calculated risks to get
the job done.
There's a controlled recklessness to his character,
and while we understand that what he is doing
is not only putting the lives of his passengers in danger,
but also the lives of innocent civilians, we are never afraid.
Sure, we might clench our teeth a little here and there,
but we never feel a Baby is out of control.
In a way, we are all Jon Hamm in this sequence.
We are all along for the ride.
Just after the turn, we get some excellent drift work
from the stunt driver as he threads a needle
between these dumpsters.
This J-turn is an incredibly difficult stunt
to pull off in real life, let alone an action film.
It requires precision timing and laser focus.
Not only does this demonstrate an exceptional understanding
of applied physics, it also highlights
Baby's innate ability to look 10 to 15 steps ahead
while remaining focused on the task at hand.
There's a level of decision making
that is done in nanoseconds as Baby narrowly
avoids catastrophe time and time again,
all demonstrating a perfect balance
of situational awareness, intelligence, focus, and skill.
As highway chases have historically proven,
once the helicopters are locked into a fleeing vehicle,
the driver and any passengers inside
are escaping on borrowed time.
So when we see these helicopters zero in on baby's location,
it really feels like the walls are closing
in on our gang of criminals.
Baby quickly looks left and sees two identical red cars
on the freeway and drifts into the opposite lane.
This highlights an ingenuity to his character and an ability
to improvise, again highlighting his ability
to think 10 steps ahead.
His pit maneuver under the overpass
to shuffle the three cars delivers to us
the understanding of Baby's ability
to perceive and anticipate how a person will
respond to certain stimuli.
He knows that if he slams on the brakes,
the car will change lanes, thus confusing the helicopter
pilot on the other side of the overpass.
Baby can not only read situations,
he understands the way people think.
After the group exits onto the freeway and speeds
into an alleyway, we think they are home
free until a police vehicle speeds by.
Baby pumps the brakes for probably the first time
since the whole endeavor began.
When it's absolutely necessary, we now
know that baby can exercise caution as well.
They peel into the parking garage,
the crew swaps vehicles, and the opening credits roll.
All of this character development
is done without dialogue or expository scene work.
It's all done through riveting, stylish direction from Edgar
Wright and expertly timed and executed
stunt coordination from Darren Prescott.
It's one thing to utilize stunts for style.
We've seen this time and time again from films
like The Matrix or the Mission: Impossible films,
and it's not like those sequences are
boring or out of place either.
Directors and stunt teams are able to pull off
some seriously spectacular feats that would have been deemed
impossible 10 to 15 years ago.
But it's very seldom that these stunts
are used to effectively set up a character in a way that
translates perfectly to an audience.
The stunt coordination, camerawork,
shot selection, and editing all come together
harmoniously to deliver a full and complete understanding
of Baby's character before he even opens
his mouth for the first time.
That's some Oscar [BLEEP] right there.
Baby Driver is a truly captivating film in which
nothing is left to waste.
Over its one hour and 33 minute runtime, Wright and his crew
accomplishes a lot by showing just a little.
Where normally action is reserved for wow factor alone,
Wright utilizes it to his advantage,
using these stunts to not only tell stories within stories
but also connect us emotionally to the character.
And that's it for this week's episode.
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