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Heist films are well trodden genre this century, with many a bankable name and director taking various stabs at them with varying degrees of success. The ones that have stood out in the past couple of decades seem to possess a couple of key ingredients: relatable or interesting characters and top notch talent in all key places of production.

Stephen Soderbergh was already on this list with his Ocean’s Eleven remake so had no need or desire to make another attempt. In fact, he had come out after Behind the Candelabra and announced he was done with directing. That he unretired to come make another heist movie had this reviewer’s interest peaked right away. That the script is surrounded in a bit of urban legend, being attributed to a first time screenwriter Rebecca Blunt, while allegedly being written by Soderbergh’s wife Jules Asner, is another interesting twist. The whole formation and execution of this production, the motivations, and eventualities could make for a movie in itself. So at the end of the day is Logan Lucky worthy of all this intrigue?

This ironically titled film tells the tale of two brothers named Logan, Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde (Adam Driver) trying to turn their misfortunes around by robbing a NASCAR speedway. Jimmy, a once a promising footballer, has just lost his construction job and is about to see his daughter move away with his ex-wife. Clyde is a former marine that lost an arm in combat and works at a bar. Together they enlist an incarcerated safe-cracker (Daniel Craig) and his dim-witted brothers to help carry the plan out, and what a plan it is!

On the surface this film is Ocean’s Eleven with rednecks, but thankfully it delves a little deeper than one-note caricatures and presents a layered, humorous presentation of people that have chosen to do naughty things. Every actor infuses a different dynamic and plays them naturally, not solely for laughs, off each other in a narrative that belies their quickly judged southern drawls and shoddy appearances. You are meant to pity these people, and despite their crimes, root for them. Those characters placed in their way, the authority types, reflect what the audience’s preconception about these characters is; and it plays out to great success throughout the narrative. Because it is easy to underestimate them, their bold and clever plan belies their first impression completely. With one exception: Hillary Swank’s character is a refreshing dog with a bone kind of agent that sees beyond what the characters take advantage of. It’s a very satisfying touch.

This film had more twists and turns than Twizzler and moves along briskly. Everything from the direction, writing, the actors, the David Holmes score is first rate and involves filmmakers at the top of their game.

If there is one criticism it’s that there are so many characters with so many subplots, some heartstring pulling moments feel a little underdone and rushed, but not enough not to work on some level.

This is a quirky and clever heist movie, one that deserves a look. A fun time is assured.

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[tab title="Details"]

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language and some crude comments.
Runtime: 119 mins
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Rebecca Blunt
Cast: Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig
Genre: Comedy | Crime
Tagline: See How The Other Half Steals
Memorable Movie Quote: "Is it twenty or is it thirty?... We are dealing with science here!"
Theatrical Distributor: Bleecker Street Media
Official Site: www.bleeckerstreetmedia.com/loganlucky
Release Date: August 18, 2017
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: November 27, 2017.
Synopsis: In this turbocharged heist comedy from Academy Award®-winning director Steven Soderbergh, West Virginia family man Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) leads his one-armed brother Clyde (Adam Driver) and hairdresser sister Mellie (Riley Keough) in an elaborate scheme to rob North Carolina’s Charlotte Motor Speedway. To help them break into the track’s underground cash-handling system, Jimmy recruits volatile demolition expert Joe Bang (Daniel Craig). Further complicating the already risky plan, a scheduling mix-up forces the thieves to execute the job during the Coca-Cola 600, the track’s most popular NASCAR event of the year. As they attempt to pull off the ambitious robbery, the down-on-their-luck Logans face a final hurdle when a relentless FBI agent (Hilary Swank) begins investigating the case.

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Universal Studios
Available on Blu-ray - November 27, 2017
Screen Formats: 2.40:1
Subtitles: English SDH; French; Spanish
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS 2.0; French (Canada): DTS 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set; UV digital copy; iTunes digital copy; Digital copy; Movies Anywhere; DVD copy
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

VIDEO: This is a flawless MPEG-4 AVC encode for a digitally shot film that just belches eye popping detail from every 1080p pixel. There were no inconsistencies from day to night shots. Everything is balanced, skin tines are natural, and blacks are inky without loss of detail. Just a beautiful picture.

SOUND: The sheer lunacy and varied locations of the film lends the DTS-HD 5.1 Lossless mix to give one’s surround sound an arduous workout. It doesn’t disappoint. Dialogue is razor sharp and clear, and depending on the action all your speakers will come out with a sweat. It’s immersive and vibrant. A great experience all round.

Blu-ray Supplements:

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

• For a film that has such a rich bounty of behind the scenes stuff to chew on this is, in a word, CRAP. You get two deleted scenes… WOW! Not effort made in this department.

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