Movie Review - Logan Lucky

Logan Lucky ***½ (PG-13) If light-hearted heist films like Ocean’s Eleven or The Italian Job (either the originals or re-makes of both) were stripped of their glamorous settings and star power, this is what you’d get. We might call this a Cracker Crime Caper, but some might underestimate the cleverness of its structure, and the quality of its screenplay. This is one of the rare films that gets better as it progresses, with a more satisfying payoff than you might think is on the way while you’re watching.

Set in the Appalachian part of North Carolina, Channing Tatum and Adam Driver play a pair of hard-luck brothers, faring even worse than most in this hard-luck region. Both Logan brothers had promising futures derailed by circumstance, consistent with generations of misfortune among their kin. They come up with a plan to rob a NASCAR race on a day that should yield maximum cash, guarded by minimal security. Good idea. Of course, nothing goes right, or this would be a short, rather than a feature. It also wouldn’t be as funny or otherwise entertaining.

The supporting cast includes a nearly-unrecognizable Daniel Craig, and a completely un recognizable Seth MacFarlane; plus the always lovely, Katie Holmes. The screenplay credited to Rebecca Blunt (which may be a pseudonym) is directed by Steven Soderbergh, whose lengthy list of credits includes the remake and sequels of Ocean’s Eleven (the Good, the Bland, and the Ugly; as the song goes, two out of three ain’t bad), sneaks up on his audience as the film evolves. It’s hard to follow the plot for a while, then exciting, then confusing again before wrapping up nicely. Good caper flicks keep viewers off-balance before the satisfying “reveal”. Test passed with flying colors, including checkered flags and STP stickers galore. (8/18/17)