Film review: 'Baby Driver'

The synchronization of sights and sounds in "Baby Driver" is nothing short of spectacular. So fasten your seatbelts and brace for impact. It's definitely going to be one wild ride.

The adrenaline begins pumping in the film's opening robbery sequence. Baby (Ansel Elgort) sits behind the wheel of the getaway car grooving to the sounds emanating from his iPod earbuds. After the heist, he speeds off with the crew (Eiza Gonzalez, Jon Hamm and Jon Bernthal) as the pursuit ensues. The music is blaring in perfect sync with the maniacal driving maneuvers. 

After the gig, Baby is told by ringleader, Doc (Kevin Spacey at his best), that he owes him one more job (There's always one more job). Baby wants out, but Doc muses that he could break his legs and kill everyone he loves. In that Baby has a foster father, Joseph (CJ Jones) whom he adores and a new girlfriend, Debora (Lily James), Baby agrees to drive. This time around, new crew members include Bats (Jamie Foxx), JD (Lanny Loon) and Eddie (Flea), all psychotic deviants. It doesn't look promising or end well.

Edgar Wright (The World's End") writes and directs this pulp-noir masterpiece with slick precision. In doing so, he pays homage to a slew of great directors, most notably Michael Mann ("Heat"), Nicolas Winding Refn ("Drive") and Quentin Tarantino ("Reservoir Dogs"). Aerial pan shots over Atlanta, black-and-white dream scenes and some very fancy chase scenes (with Wright literally strapped to the speeding cars) visually astound viewers. The editing and choreographing of the music to match the action is so spot-on that you glide with the ride. 

The casting is a stroke of genius with all of the actors delivering big time. But it's the young Elgort who rocks in every frame he inhabits. The earbuds permanently lodged in his ears dictate his movements and moods, which play out like one long dance. This guy has landed soundly on the A-list.

"Baby Driver" has it all. Expect the unexpected at every turn, so sit back and enjoy the uncharted journey. Wright named the film after Simon and Garfunkel's 1970s hit, "Baby Driver." Stick around for the credits to hear it in its entirety. If your toes aren't tapping and your fingers not snapping, there's a problem.