Movie review
June 28, 2017 · 113 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Baby Driver is a 2017 action crime film directed by Edgar Wright. It follows a young getaway driver named Baby who uses music to manage tinnitus while working for a crime boss and trying to build a future with his girlfriend after a doomed heist. The story emphasizes personal trauma, redemption, romance, and stylish action sequences in an Atlanta crime setting, with a supporting cast that includes diverse actors in roles that fit the world of the plot rather than any highlighted identity focus.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Baby Driver.
Woke representation / casting
Diverse actors fill prominent supporting roles such as Jamie Foxx as Bats and Eiza González as Darling in ways that align with the Atlanta crime underworld setting. The white male protagonist leads, and casting shows no audience-visible identity signaling, quota emphasis, or marketing focus on representation as a priority.
Woke political dialogue
No political, activist, or identity-focused dialogue appears in the film. Conversations stay grounded in heist planning, personal backstories, relationships, and practical crime elements.
Identity-driven story themes
The narrative drives through individual trauma from a childhood crash, music as personal escape and focus, romantic connection, moral redemption, and consequences of crime. No plotlines or arcs center on race, gender, sexuality, or social identity politics.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The story shows crime world dynamics and personal fallout in straightforward genre terms without modern activist framing around systemic issues, patriarchy, capitalism, or cultural institutions. Standard heist conflict, not reframed ideologically.
Production
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. This is an original screenplay by Edgar Wright with no changes to established characters, canon, source material, or historical figures for identity or DEI reasons.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No significant public, social media, or news complaints accused the film of advancing woke, DEI, or identity politics messaging. Reception treated it as apolitical entertainment; any discussion stayed on style or unrelated actor issues.
Creator track record context
Edgar Wright has built a career on kinetic genre films and stylistic comedy with only mild evidence of broader liberal views in scattered public comments; his output does not show recurring identity-driven or activist patterns. The producers lack any documented public history of political activism or social justice focus.
