“Baby Driver” was released on June 28^th and has been getting some great reviews ever since. The title may distract from the theme, but think of Paul Simon’s famous tune of the same name and you get the picture.

This is a combination heist flick and hot pursuit action film, directed by Edgar Wright. The soundtrack is a marvelous compilation of popular/rock mood and motivational tunes. The best thing about this film is the way it was edited so that the beat of Baby’s tunes punctuates and choreographs the action. The worst thing about the film is the total disregard of the criminals for lives of their victims or of the police officers trying to stop them. On the other hand, it is a movie: the dialog is snappy and there are some top tier actors delivering the some great lines.

“Baby” himself is the getaway driver for a criminal mastermind named “Doc” (Kevin Spacey), who sends a different team each time he sets up a new heist. We see Baby drive just three of his jobs for Doc. He really is an amazing driver, maneuvering with finesse and always getting the teams away to safety. On the third job he will drive, the team entrusted to him is made up of “Buddy” (Jon Hamm of Mad Men) and “Darling” (Eiza Gonzalez), a couple from the first heist team, and “Bats” (Jamie Foxx) from the second heist. Expect some fireworks with this bunch of robbers.

Despite the presence of Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, and Jon Hamm in this film, Baby is the main character. Ansel Elgort (Caleb in the Divergent series, and Gus in The Fault in Our Stars) holds up his end admirably as Baby, a young man who, in order to tone down the tinnitus in his ears, constantly listens to music through his earbuds. How he turned to a life of car jacking is not addressed, but he owes Doc, so he is caught in Doc’s web of crime. Many people die in these heists, but Baby doesn’t usually see that part. He just drives and he gets a cut of the proceeds. We begin to believe that the tragic event that led to his hearing problems must have led to his non-emotional, “devil may care” attitude. But breaking through it will be Debora, the waitress in his favorite diner, who is played by Lily James (Cinderella [2015], Downton Abbey).

This is a film that will delight the moviegoer who likes to be surprised as well as entertained. After the opening heist, Elgort gives us a great scene, walking down the street, lip-syncing. Baby is “Rated R for violence and language throughout.” But for those who can handle it, the bloodshed is not gory, the offensive language is not “every other word”, and the pacing and humor work a balance with the killing to make it all nearly palatable. While the early scenes may make you giggle in appreciation for the choreography to Baby’s music, the latter part of the movie gets quite out of control and tense. Would it help if I told you every one of the main characters gets what they deserve in the end?

My feeling after being surprised and amused by this film was that it has all the makings of a potential cult classic in the action/heist film genre. See it if you dare.