08 September,2017 02:44 PM IST | Mumbai | Johnson Thomas
Though 'Logan Lucky' doesn't have that style and panache showcased in the Ocean's series, it manages to hold your eyeballs with its southern inflections and hillbilly protagonists who are showcased as leveraging people's biases to their advantage
'Logan Lucky'. Pic courtesy/YouTube
'Logan Lucky'
U/A; Comedy/Crime/Drama
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Riley Keough, Seth MacFarlane, Daniel Craig, Hilary Swank
Rating:
Steven Soderbergh may have already established himself as one of the best directors of 'Heist' films with his work in the Ocean's series, so this one, his latest not-as-unique, 'heist' accomplishment, merely adds some more weight to that claim.
Though 'Logan Lucky' doesn't have that style and panache showcased in the Ocean's series, it manages to hold your eyeballs with its southern inflections and hillbilly protagonists who are showcased as leveraging people's biases to their advantage. Coming a few months after the preppy, musically enhanced 'Baby Driver' this one feels like it's come out of the classical past of Heist films.
Logan Lucky has West Virginian divorced Dad Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) teaming up with his one-armed brother Clyde (Adam Driver), sister Mellie (Riley Keough) and demolition expert Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) to steal money from the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina during a popular NASCAR race but a relentless FBI agent (Hilary Swank) is hot on their chase. Logan lost his job as a heavy equipment operator and is likely to forfeit visitation rights to his daughter with ex-wife Bobbie Jo (Katie Holmes) if he doesn't come up with enough money to move closer to her new home. Is it strong enough reason for such a risky job?
This heist film has a new spin with the added weight of being based on true events but the mechanics seem decadent. Soderbergh's fans will consider this as a living-up-to-expectations joyride but those expecting something different from him will most certainly be disappointed. The narrative is slack and lumbering and you never get so involved that you start rooting for the gang of misfits. There's some pop-culture artifice here with references to the good old country life and ironic but true -contaminated water. In his first return after four years of hibernation from cinema, Soderbergh basically tries to revive a seminal vibe - that of less classy, nevertheless hardworking hillbillies that get waylaid by overpowering need. The star turns by Hollywood's best add weight to the sparkle of lucre being primed here. This one is not a great film but definitely an enjoyable one!
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