When vying to determine what is the stand-out heist caper in recent memory, Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11 springs to mind, as a film that adheres to the tropes of the genre, while injecting so much fervour and originality in the meantime. The filmmaker, back from a self-inflicted hiatus, is the perfect man to bring this Rebecca Blunt screenplay to life, utilising his experience in this sub-genre to triumphant effect.
Except while Ocean’s 11 was about the cocktails and tuxedos, in this instance it’s beer cans and Hi-Vis vests, exploring working class America, and a collective of protagonists who feel alienated and politically unsupported, making this the complete opposite to Soderbergh’s preceding heist movie – for this time we’re thriving in the notion of the underdog.
The Logan family are perennially unlucky. Jimmy (Channing Tatum) is let off from his work following a leg injury, while his brother Clyde (Adam Driver) is a barman with only one arm, having lost the other when in the army. Down on their luck, and finances, they concoct an ambitious plan to steal millions of dollars at the forthcoming NASCAR event, and are going to need all the help they can get to pull it off. Their sister Mellie (Riley Keough) is naturally on board, and they’re also keen to enlist the volatile prisoner Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) as part of their elaborate mission. Thing is, in order to successfully get away with this heist, they’re going to need some good fortune – which is something this family are so often without.
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There’s also a fascinating study of American culture, almost turning the notion of the American Dream on its head, as we explore distinctively American themes. We have racing, beauty pageants, and a soundtrack mostly consisting of John Denver, who is so American he’s named after a capital city. Yet that’s not to say this is a political film, for while it bubbles underneath, this is a picture that instead thrives in its overstatement, commenting on society, and yet never committing to realism when presenting it. It’s absurd in parts, but affectionately so, and some of the humour is over-the-top (like a stand-out scene featuring a hilarious Game of Thrones gag) – but at times it does feel a little forced.
Tonally, Soderbergh’s comeback is triumphant on all fronts, in that it’s comedic and funny when it needs to be, while towards the latter stages it’s poignant in parts it almost has no right to be. Plus, while the heist is ongoing, it’s incredible tense and suspenseful – as a film that really does take the viewer through such a range of emotions. Now, Steve, just don’t retire again.
Logan Lucky is released on August 25th. Watch our in-depth interview with Steven Soderbergh here.