LOGAN LUCKY ■ Four-Fingered Delight
It’s just as easy for directors, it seems, to be typecast into particular genres or styles as it is for actors to fall into similar roles. Whether it’s the unmistakable frantic editing of a Tony Scott movie, the quirky underbelly hijinks of a Guy Ritchie flick, or another heist story from Steven Soderbergh, self-mimicry doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Soderbergh certainly proves that punching out another heist movie doesn’t mean it’s just another heist movie.
LOGAN LUCKY is, in many respects, by the numbers. Heist movies do, after all, have to follow a very specific formula to resonate with audiences. A clearly defined financial problem. The gathering of the team. Some sort of smoke and mirrors to deflect attention. And at least one montage breaking down the big heist plan. LOGAN LUCKY has all of these elements. What stops it from being robber rote is tight pacing, fantastic direction, and clever casting.
Channing Tatum is the perfect sympathetic everyman, and his siblings are quirky without being too weird to be relatable. The real shining star, though, is Daniel Craig who flexes his full-fledged comedic chops with aplomb. He dominates every scene he’s in. LOGAN LUCKY does suffer a bit from RETURN OF THE KING syndrome, dragging on for multiple endings after its natural conclusion, but that’s not enough to stop it from being thoroughly enjoyable. Check it out when you can.
