*Originally written September 7th, 2017*
"Oceans 7/11"
Steven Soderbergh is a director I've never massively loved and his films have been very hit and miss for me. I must be honest though, he has a very varied and unique body of work, so I was interested to see him return to directing after his self-imposed and very brief retirement.
Logan Lucky follows three siblings who in financial straits, decide to rob a NASCAR race with the help of an incarcerated inmate and his two brothers.
I'll get my brief problems with Logan Lucky out the way first. The heist itself is a bit convoluted and confusing at times. I wasn't entirely sure what everyone's role was and I had a hard time grasping a few of the twists at the end and how it all made sense. Seth MacFarlane was also woefully miscast as a British NASCAR driver. There's a bit of strange character choices too, the decision for the brothers to rob the speedway was also kinda just comes out of nowhere.
These were all things I could overlook however, because Logan Lucky is a blast. I love heist films and I'm so happy we have a new one from the director of Ocean's 11 (A trilogy I need to revisit soon). There's even a joke in the film referring to the heist as "Oceans 7/11".
The cast are fantastic, filled with tons of memorable characters, even if the females of the film are very underused (Why was Katie Holmes even in this for such a thankless role?). I was worried by Daniel Craig in the trailer, I imagined he'd be the violent and unpredictable member of the team, but I was pleasantly surprised and he was one of my favourite things about it. His insane look and accent really stole the show. It's such a stretch from James Bond I couldn't believe it was him.
Adam Driver is also wonderful as the one-armed brother of Channing Tatum. Both of which deliver comedy extremely well. Tatum brings the heart of the film with the relationship with his daughter as he robs the speedway as he tries to get back in time for her performance at a beauty pageant. (On a side note, how fucking creepy are children's beauty pageants? There is nothing about them that doesn't make me want to vomit).
A lot of the comedy really lands here too. There was one excellent joke referencing George R.R. Martin and the Song of Ice and Fire book series that took me off guard. It's rare a joke about contemporary pop-culture actually works without feeling cringey and pandering. I also get the feeling Steven Soderbergh really hates smartphones and social media based on the constant references to how much Tatum's character hates it (I agree though). It was a Scottish setting away from being Ewan McGregor's "Choose Life" speech from T2 Trainspotting.
Soderbergh always keeps things moving and the film runs at a fast-pace while managing to keep every character likeable and easy to root for. The heist itself is a bit confusing like I mentioned, but it is a lot of fun and delivers some really cool and creative stuff. The idea itself to rob a speedway during NASCAR was very unique and was nice to see a heist film that wasn't just a bank. But like South Park taught me, NASCAR really is just for poor and stupid people.
It's a shame Logan Lucky did so poorly at the box-office, because I would have loved to have more adventures with these really memorable characters. Audiences complain about a lack of original films, but then they ignore films like this and only go see stuff like Marvel and DC. It's frustrating to say the least. Support original films if you want to see more of them!
Logan Lucky is a blast and a welcome return for Steven Soderbergh who delivers a fast, fun and extremely entertaining heist film with heart and a cast of interesting characters.
8/10 Dans
Logan Lucky is out now in cinemas in the UK
Watch the trailer below:
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