When I saw the first trailers for the new Steven Soderbergh directed film (his first after declaring he was retiring from direction several years before) Logan Lucky, I was intrigued.
Why?
Two words: Daniel Craig.
Seeing Daniel Craig, who for far too many years acts in films -like the James Bond films, natch- that required him to be so serious and dour, acting in this …unhinged… looking manner had my complete attention.
So this weekend, when my wife and I found ourselves with –gasp!– some free time after a far too grueling month of moving our kids into their apartments, decided to head out to the theater and watch a film.
But, what to see?
The choices boiled down to The Hitman’s Bodyguard and Logan Lucky. The Hitman’s Bodyguard, alas, has been taking a beating from critics and, to be very honest, after that grueling month I’ve been through, I didn’t want to waste my time and Logan Lucky was certainly getting a lot of critical love.
So Logan Lucky it was.
The film’s story is pretty clearly laid out in the above trailer. The Logans, Jimmy (Channing Tatum), Clyde (Adam Driver), and Mellie (Riley Keough) join forces with the hilarious Joe Bang (Daniel Craig, natch) and his redneck brothers to pull off a heist at the Nascar raceway.
Why?
The spark, apparently, for the action was Jimmy a) being fired from his job because of a knee injury sustained when fighting for the army and b) finding out his ex-wife Bobbie Jo Chapman (Katie Holmes in what amounts to a cameo) and her current husband are going to move to another state and, therefore, take their daughter with her.
So Jimmy wants/needs cash (perhaps… I’ll say no more), and he presents his plan to his brother, then together they visit Joe Bang in prison and we’re off and running.
Logan Lucky is far from a perfect film. In fact, the first act, before the arrival of Daniel Craig’s Joe Bang, is kinda dull.
But once the actors are in their place and we’ve moved on to the actual heist, things get fun -and funny- and we’re having ourselves a good time.
It helps, by the way, that almost all the characters presented are decent people. The only big exception is Seth MacFarlane’s Max Chilblain, a shallow Nascar promoter who is a narcissist and may wind up being the proverbial fly in the ointment when it comes to the heist going as planned.
Even Katie Homes’ Bobbie Jo and her silly new husband, who could have been presented as far more antagonistic, are instead shown to be caring parents in their own way, even if their means far outstrip Jimmy Logan’s.
So, if you can patiently wait a few minutes for the film to find its legs, you’ll have fun with Logan Lucky. It may not be one of the most scintillating comedies or heist films ever made, but its a fun piece of work and, if nothing else, its worth seeing for Daniel Craig’s hilarious turn as Joe Bang.
Recommended.