Photo: FilmDistrict/TriStar Pictures
Since both of these movies feature dudes whose talent lies behind the wheel, we naturally had to put them in the “ring,” and let them duke it out — because it’s time to finally answer this question: which movie is better? Baby Driver (2017) or Drive (2011)? So strap in and get ready for the battle of a lifetime (just accept our dramatic ways, OK?) So get those engines running and find out which movie will end up in the winner’s circle.
The Hero
Baby Driver: Ansel Elgort plays Baby, (real name, Miles), a young dude who is all about two things: his music and driving. Oh, and about not driving unless he’s listening to his tunes.
Drive: Ryan Gosling plays Driver, another young dude who is a man of few words. That is unless he’s threatening to knock someone’s teeth out.
Edge: While we love both characters, we have to give it to Gosling based on the fact that his character is more of a bad ass. Plus we may or may not have a man crush on him.
The Gal
Photo: TriStar Pictures
Baby Driver: Lily James plays Debora, the most loyal waitress you’ll ever meet. She’s serve you coffee in the morning and stops you from getting murdered by Jon Hamm at night. A real classy gal.
Drive: Carey Mulligan plays Irene, a concerned neighbor who falls for our hero while her hubby’s in jail, which puts Driver in all sorts of trouble. Ugh, women.
The Edge: Both are cute, English gals, but Debora actually helps her guy out, while Irene is pretty useless if you ask us. Sorry Irene, we’re going with Debora.
The Hero’s Gimmick
Baby Driver: Baby has his iPod. That’s his thing. He needs music to drive or that car is not going anywhere at all.
Drive: Driver has his scorpion jacket and his toothpick. Oh, don’t forget about his driving gloves, too.
The Edge: While both gimmicks are pretty forced, the music one makes it feel like we’re watching one big Apple ad. So we’re going with the jacket and toothpick. I mean, those are pretty awesome.
Villain(s)
Photo: FilmDistrict
Baby Driver: The two main bad guys here are Buddy (Jon Hamm) and Bats (Jamie Foxx), where one guy is clearly more bad than the other — at least until the end. Baby has to do battle with both of them in order to save his gal and his own ass.
Drive: Drive also has two main villains with Ron Perlman playing Nino and Albert Brooks playing Bernie Rose, with the latter doing a fantastic job.
The Edge: Both films have great baddies, but Brooks and Perlman actually scare the hell out of us, so Drive gets the edge.
Villain(s) Demise
Baby Driver: Foxx’s character dies when he gets impaled by a rebar, while Hamm’s character falls to his death off a parking garage. Two brutal ways to go.
Drive: Perlman’s character drowns in the ocean, and Brooks’ character simply gets stabbed in a parking lot. Simple, yet effective.
The Edge: Nothing too mind-blowing here, so we’re going to call this a tie. Although getting impaled doesn’t sound like the most pleasant way to go.
Most Memorable Quote
Baby Driver:
“The target is an armored truck at Perimeter Trust in Dunwoody, 10 am sharp. The switch car’s ready but you want me to hit the long state parking structure and get a heist vehicle to the states colder longer. It needs to be ready for an 8:30 start. Questions?” – Baby
Drive:
“If I drive for you, you get your money. You tell me where we start, where we’re going, where we’re going afterwards. I give you five minutes when we get there. Anything happens in that five minutes and I’m yours. No matter what. Anything a minute on either side of that and you’re on your own. I don’t sit in while you’re running it down. I don’t carry a gun. I drive.” – Driver
The Edge: Drive wins this one hands down.
The Car
Photo: FilmDistrict
Baby Driver: Baby drives a 2006 red Subaru the majority of the film — not exactly the sexiest car.
Drive: Driver goes with a 1973 Chevy Malibu.
The Edge: I think it’s pretty obvious who wins this round.
Opening Scene
Baby Driver: Baby Driver opens with a pretty incredible scene featuring Baby get away from the cops while Jon Spencer’s “Bellbottoms” plays. It’s a loud, fun scene, that is probably the best driving sequence in the film.
Drive: Drive also opens with a great opening scene, a getaway chase with no music so you can hear the engine of Driver’s car. It’s subtle, but perfectly filmed.
The Edge: while both films have great opening scenes, we’re going to have to go with Baby Driver’s fun opener.
Overall Experience
Baby Driver: a loud and fun movie mixed with great performances, witty dialogue and memorable characters. This is definitely a movie you can watch again and still have as much fun as the first time around.
Drive: a sleek, beautifully shot film with incredible music. While our hero doesn’t say much, the viewer is completely engrossed by his every movie.
So with that said…
Winner
Both films are fantastic, but Drive is jut more engrossing, “drives” us to the edge of our seat and the buildup is completely worth it.
So, which movie do you think is better? Sound off in the comments!
