Logan Lucky (2017) Review

Steven Soderbergh may be returning to the Director’s chair for the first time since 2013’s “Behind The Candelabra” but “Logan Lucky” sees him settle comfortably back into his comfort zone, albeit with a sly spin on an old favourite.

The Logan brothers, Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde (Adam Driver), decide to throw off the local gossip about their family being cursed with bad luck and pull off a daring heist during a NASCAR race in South Carolina.

Despite its down-home, country roads stylings, this is a slick and wildly entertaining heist caper and there’s something to be said for watching a master craftsman like Soderbergh at work in a genre he knows so well. Shorn of the glitz and glamour of the world of Danny Ocean, though, there’s a rough and ready charm to “Logan Lucky” as those good ol’ boys rely on low cunning and even lower tech to pull off their plan.

It’s blessed with an eclectic and starry cast in which the standout performance is a superb comedic turn from Daniel Craig as explosives expert Joe Bang but almost everyone has their moment to shine in this ‘Hillbilly’s 11’. The only bum note comes from a woefully miscast Seth MacFarlane and once you’ve seen the film you’ll understand why he hasn’t appeared in any of the trailers despite his name being prominently featured on the posters.

The witty script is peppered with quotable exchanges and memorable moments, especially an unexpected critique of “Game Of Thrones” but the story does get a bit disjointed during an uneven and awkward third act, although the game performances from the cast get it through and everything is tied up nicely at the end.

By fermenting a post-Trump blue-collar malaise with a sour mash of down-home humour and sharp wit, Soderbergh has brewed up some intoxicating cinematic moonshine and we can only hope we haven’t seen the last of the Logan brothers.

8/10