In case you missed it, the director of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the Cornetto trilogy (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End) released his latest film, Baby Driver, in theaters. From what we’ve heard thus far, it’s one of the best movies of the summer – but we wouldn’t expect otherwise from Wright.
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That said, while speaking with Gizmodo, the interviewer brought up a number of subjects surrounding Baby Driver‘s inspirations, and that included a mention for Grand Theft Auto. It turns out Wright actually plays the game alongside his brother, along with the PlayStation 1 classic Driver – so you can kind of see an idea where Baby Driver‘s exhilarating driving sequences come from.
Still, when the interviewer talked about how a situation in Baby Driver reminded him of Grand Theft Auto, Wright was quick to reply. “Ansel is of an age where he grew up with that game. Ansel was born in 1994. So he grew up with that game. So here’s my thought with that—without making it too explicit—there’s definitely bits that subvert things from those games. There’s a scene later on where he carjacks a lady at gunpoint. That’s the first time he’s done that in that movie. It gives you pause for a moment because you know he’s a good-hearted kid. It’s like, ‘Oh, he’s pulling a gun on an old lady and forcing her out of her car!’ Then, as he’s driving off, he sees that her purse is on the passenger’s seat and throws it to her before he peels out. Nobody in GTA would do that.
“So, I did think it’d be interesting for the Grand Theft Auto generation to see that. The moral compass of the movie is that you start with the dream of being a getaway driver. Now, if you’ve played those games or not, a lot of people have had fantasies about being in a high-speed pursuit. So you show the dream of being a getaway driver, and that’s the opening scene where everything goes like clockwork. Not a scratch on the car— nothing goes wrong. And then with each successive set piece, things get gnarlier and things start to go wrong. And the human consequence and the collateral is more obvious. And the movie ends with, like, how to escape the nightmare of being a criminal. I did a lot of thinking about some of those games—and also a lot of the 1930s Warner Bros. gangster films—specifically, the most obvious example is Angels With Dirty Faces. It has such a great, moral kicker, and that’s part of what movies were at the time.”
You can read the full interview here, and it’s well worth it, especially if you’re a fan of Wright.
Baby Driver is in theaters now.
