Jason's Movie Blog

AN ABSOLUTE BLAST FROM

START TO FINISH

Intro: Well here we are: Steven Soderbergh’s:” Logan Lucky” has finally arrived into theaters across the country. This has been one of my Most Anticipated Movies of the year since it was first announced and rightfully so as it brings one of my absolute favorite American directors out of retirement after a long 4 year hiatus.

Even more exciting though is that for the first time: Solderbergh has cracked the big studio system. He found independent ways to finance the film on his own and as a result, this film has had no outside influence from the studio executives who would normally stick their heads into things.  Yes, you read that right, “Logan Lucky” is 100% Soderbergh and that’s not an easy feat for a film of this size and scale!  Even with it’s large cast and A-list talent it feels more like an indie.

Plot: Trying to reverse a family curse, brothers Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde Logan (Adam Driver) set out to execute an elaborate robbery during the legendary Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Review: Well, I’m happy to report that after his long break from feature film-making: director Steven Soderbergh is back and he delivers here with a big bang.  In fact: It’s like he never even left the director’s chair in the first place.  All of his craft and skill is most definitely present in this film and he certainly hasn’t lost his touch between films.  “Logan Lucky” is a widely entertaining heist film that fully delivers on its premise. Its laugh out loud hilarious, an extremely fun watch and it’s without a doubt one of the best movies of the summer and even the year for that matter. This film comes highly recommended from me and I have few flaws with it.  At 119 minutes – it’s fast-paced, light-hearted and is sure to put a smile on your face throughout. Few films this summer have managed to live up to the high expectations that I had set for them but “Logan Lucky” pulls that off and more!    Nobody directs a heist movie like Soderbergh and that’s never been clearer than it is here.

There is just so much talent on display here. Soderbergh is great in the director’s chair as already mentioned but there is also an absolute a-list ensemble cast on screen here too with: Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, Riley Keough, Farrah Mackenzie and Seth MacFarlane among others and they all play off each other beautifully. If there’s one clear standout here though its: Daniel Craig who’s just so charming in his supporting role – he’s great here in a different kind of role for himself. There are lots of laughs to be had throughout and the screenplay *yes, the one that’s been causing all of the stir over who actually wrote it* is one of the very best of the year so far. I say: Who cares, who wrote it. The dialogue between characters is just perfection and I would really love to see another movie set in the world Soderbergh and that anonymous screenwriter *probably also Soderbergh* have created here as there’s certainly potential for more fun. Some are calling this one the red-neck “Oceans 11” or “Oceans 7/11” *as a news reporter in the film refers to the heist* and well I can’t argue with that as that’s essentially what this is but the characters all feel real – like they could exist in our world: so it works.

In terms of flaws, I did begin to feel the run-time towards the final act and with the reports of no studio influence here I think that this may actually have something to do with it. Soderbergh has essentially delivered and brought his 119 minute director’s cut to theaters and while it’s praiseworthy that he was smart enough to find a means to do so I feel as though it also ultimately brings the film down a bit too. It seems that Soderbergh wasn’t sure as to how or where he wanted to end the film and that’s always a problem when present in any film. I feel that at least 15 minutes could and should have been trimmed here. With some cutting to get this one to: 1 hour and 45 minutes, I’m sure that this issue would disappear altogether and that my score would be even higher than it already is…

In Conclusion/My Verdict: 4.0 Out of 5.0 Stars – “Logan Lucky” is an absolute blast from start to finish – it’s not only one of the funniest and most clever movies of the summer but it’s also one of the best movies of 2017 so far. There’s so much talent on display here from Soderbergh himself but also from the cast and everyone else involved with the film’s production and I had a smile on my face throughout the entire run-time.  It may run a little long but the positives certainly outweigh all of the flaws I have here. It’s just so great to see Soderbergh back directing movies again and I hope that this is the first of many.  Please people don’t let this one flop – go out and see it.  You’ll be glad you did.

“LOGAN LUCKY” is Now Playing across Canada from the folks over at eOne Films and across the US from the folks at Bleecker Street. So, What are you waiting for??!! Go See It! 

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