Kevin Spacey

REVIEW: Baby Driver (2017)

Working for crime boss Doc (Kevin Spacey) as a getaway driver, Baby (Ansel Elgort) is the best in business, that is until he meets waitress Debora (Lily James) and wants to get out of the whole shady business altogether.

Baby Driver is a fun film. I thought it was fine but I did not love it. In part I feel that’s because I’ve come to realise I’m just not a huge Edgar Wright fan, I’ve never hated any of his films but they never really leave a lasting impression and I do not love them like so many other people seem to.

I feel Baby Driver can be summed up by two things – the car chases and the soundtrack. The car chase sequences are thrilling and exhilarating and I liked how they always showed off Baby’s skills in different ways. The soundtrack is full of catchy, recognisable songs and I did like how the film used the soundtrack (and sound in general) however having a film that constantly had a backing song was a bit grating at times.

Baby has tinnitus, meaning he constantly has a ringing in his ears, and he uses music to block it out. It was the way the film showed how Baby heard sounds, like how it got quieter when he took an earbud out so it was like you were in his shoes throughout the film, that I really liked. The whip fast editing that went with the music was cool too.

Baby Driver felt like style over substance to me. This is a film about a getaway driver so naturally there’s heists (one of my favourite things in any type of story ever) but I found myself no really being engaged with it. I think this was down to the characters. All the cast did a fine job but I didn’t get attached to or particularly like any of the characters except for Baby’s foster dad Joseph (CJ Jones).

Baby Driver is a sharp, fast-paced film. It’s full of action and thrills but it lacks that final punch of something great for me. 3/5.

REVIEW: Margin Call (2011)

_1315510535Analyst Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto) discovers discrepancies in his company’s financial projections and realises that things are going to turn very bad, very quickly. Peter, with the help of his friend and colleague Seth Bregman (Penn Badgley) informs Will Emerson (Paul Bettany), an experienced market trader, and together they slowly move up the hierarchy of the bank during one night, trying to explain to the bosses what’s going to happen and if there’s actually any way to stop it.

For such a stuffy and possibly boring subject, Margin Call is gripping and that is down to a great script and brilliant acting. Jeremy Irons is the CEO who just wants his company to survive no matter the consequences while Kevin Spacey is the head trader who wants to be honest but is stuck in the business. Considering Margin Call is less than two hours long and the fact it’s set across one night, you get to grips with the characters pretty well by the end of the film.

Margin Call also manages to offer some humanity to those who caused or were a part of the financial crisis of 2008. In the media they are just “the Banks” and you forget that honest people who were just doing their jobs were a part of the businesses that made a mess for everyone. It really is a credit to the script and the cast that each actor is allowed their moment to shine.

Considering Margin Call is about the financial crisis, a topic that could be dense and boring, Margin Call is gripping, interesting and has some great performances. 5/5.