Logan Lucky ★★★
HEIST comedy Logan Lucky could have gone a few different ways.
The premise and characters are crazy enough to have gone full slapstick with the comedy and action.
But the director, and probably writer (more on that later), Steven Soderbergh, as usual had other ideas.
Soderbergh uses the mechanics of a one-day prison escape and speedway robbery to present an affectionate look at the people of America’s deep south.
At times this leads to an uneven tone, slow pacing and difficulty in hearing dialogue, but stick with the film and you’ll get a much deeper and richer experience than other directors might have chosen.
A third into the film, Soderbergh’s intentions are still a little hard to determine with many bitingly funny moments at the expense of his characters. But near the end of the film there is a beautiful musical sequences that clearly demonstrates this is an affectionate tribute.
If you don’t remember Soderbergh by name, some of his films are Sex, Lies and Videotape, Out of Sight, Erin Brokovich, Traffic, Che, Contagion, Solaris, The Girlfriend Experience and Magic Mike.
It’s an eclectic list and that’s leaving off the series of Oceans heist films (11, 12 and 13) that provide the best reference point for Logan Lucky.
While the Oceans movies featured beautiful stars playing stylish characters in exotic locations, Logan Lucky deals with working class stiffs getting their own back in the backwoods of North Carolina.
Channing Tatum (a Soderbergh favourite) and Adam Driver respectively play brothers Jimmy and Clyde who are planning to rob a speedway. Jimmy is the brains, having recently lost his job with a company that was conducting water pipe repairs immediately underneath the speedway facility.
In addition to the one-armed war veteran and barman Clyde, the gang also includes their sister, the local hair-dresser Millie played by Riley Keough and another set of three local brothers.
Jimmy and Clyde actually only want Joe Bang, for his explosives expertise, but he insists on his two other brothers being brought in on the deal.
Expectations are constantly adjusting in this film. First impressions of all the characters tell one story while their actual acts and level of capability eventually tell another. Jimmy looks and talks slowly, but he’s planned a robbery to the nth degree; Joe may look like a redneck fool, but he knows his science.
In contrast, one of Joe’s brothers demonstrates his computer and internet skills with the response: “You bet. I know all of ’em. I know all the twitters.”
The robbery, which also requires the prison break-out to work, is executed with the director’s usual flair and all comes together nicely in the end. But it’s the characters and their interactions that are the main joys of the film.
Tatum, Driver and Keough all create enjoyable characters but it’s Daniel Craig who steals the film as the main Bang brother, taking great delight in running rings around the prison system and law enforcement.
Many of the smaller roles are also well-rounded despite limited screen time, including Farrah Mackenzie as Jimmy’s daughter Sadie, Katie Holmes as his ex-wife and David Denman as her new husband. There are also terrific appearances from Dwight Yokam as the prison warden and Hillary Swank as an FBI agent.
The film could have easily been shorter (sections featuring Seth Macfarlane and one of the NASCAR drivers added little) which would have sharpened the focus.
I suspect audiences will waver on this one because the under-stated approach and tone aren’t to general taste. It’s not one of Soderbergh’s best, but is likely to grow on you.
Almost forgot…the credits list Rebecca Blunt as the writer but when you go to IMDB it says nothing is known about her, so it’s probably Soderbergh as well.