User Reviews

Logan Lucky is first and foremost a heist movie. Arguably it's the first of its kind this decade, since the last time a really good movie of this stripe has focused on downhill good 'ol boys pulling an all-American snatch-and-grab, Burt Reynolds was still relevant. In its advertising the film mentions itself in the same breath as Ocean's Eleven (2001) but aside from both having the same director, the two couldn't be more miles apart. One's about career confidence men drinking fancy martinis. The other's about petty criminals snatching chump change from concession drawers. One's essentially Michael Caine, the other is Steve Martin.

As such, Logan Lucky doesn't come with the standard beats and rhythms of your average Italian Job (2003). It's slower, quirkier, meanders down narrative avenues then calls it all back in drastically different ways. While doing so it's also more human, more sympathetic calling to mind the best aspects of The Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958) with a uniquely Appalachian twang.

Recently let go from his construction job due to, "liability reasons with insurance," former football prodigy Jimmy Logan (Tatum) decides to put in motion a robbery plan he's obviously been thinking about for some time. He recruits his siblings, hairdresser Mellie (Keough) and one-handed bartender Clyde (Driver), to aid him. Then they knock on the door of infamous local demolitions expert and safe cracker Joe Bang (Craig) whose incarceration proves the first snag of many to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

As with all heist movies, much of the entertainment stems from the tension created when the plan, as described to the satisfaction of the audience deviates ever so slightly risking exposure. What Logan Lucky doesn't just get right but gets near darn perfect is the way it plays with that convention. Large problems seem to wash over the ensemble with increasing grace almost as if they know they can rely on their community; family and own God-given intelligence to carry the day. Minor problems come across as inspired character moments for which Jimmy, Joe Bang and his brothers (Quaid and Gleeson) show their goofy, simple, superstitious selves.

I say goofy and simple not to be derivative, though if that's what you take from it then the film's prestige may come as a more pleasant surprise than you could hope for. Much of the plan relies on other characters, such as a stuffy prison warden (Yoakam) and a haughty race promoter (MacFarlane) to underestimate our ensemble's abilities.

The film does an excellent job humanizing our heroes by exploring and framing their environments as a point of fact. Jimmy doesn't live in squalor; he lives in a cozy house overlooking the West Virginia hills. Clyde isn't a one-handed freak, he's a war hero and a dedicated bartender to boot, Mellie, a capable getaway driver, the Bang brothers - professional bandits who "know all the twitters". The camera further highlights this by panning and gliding at low angles making everyone loom larger; everyone including a late third act addition in Hilary Swank as a resourceful FBI investigator.

The film is not without its faults. The pacing seems to shift up and down like a Mustang barreling down the Eastbound I-64. And despite its knack for air-tight alibis, Logan Lucky leaves the audience hanging with a lot of unanswered questions. Given the controversy surrounding the financing of the film, there's little doubt a sequel is being planned. One which I look forward to, but if film is said to be poetic justice in a hundred minutes or less, Logan Lucky doesn't come across as poetic as it should be.

All that said, Steven Soderbergh's Logan Lucky is a breeze. It's a fine and feral addition to the pantheon of good time slice-of-life crime comedies that were first kicked off by Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974) and the like. And its quirkiness is helped immensely by its motley cast who by enlarge do wonders humanizing characters that otherwise would have been shrouded in misplaced mythos. If you've been curious about this one, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Great cast and unlikely. Main star is Daniel Craig, this film is such good fun. What you'll love is getting involved with the story more than you'd anticipe. The trailer will make you want to check it out but you won't regret it. Something to watch while chilling out and having a laugh. Will you watch it again? No but you'll really like it

After a summer of remakes and so called blockbusters i popped along to watch this with no hopes or misgivings...I hold an unlimited card so went knowing the cost was immaterial.

What I found was typical of the kind of movie you decide to just take in because I have a card and 2 hours to spare..

A little cracker of a gem to finish off the summer.

Some people are complaining about it not being what the trailers says it is...but if you know about movies then you should know that they never are.

A very well made " Just watch it" movie which never takes itself too seriously and makes you smile and chuckle from start to finish.

Everybody is in on what this movie should be..in my opinion somewhere in between "Stir Crazy" and " The Italian Job" ...with a pinch of "Twin Peaks" added to the recipe.

Surprisingly cheerful and just what the doctor ordered for the onslaught of the usual rehash and part 2's and 3's.

The only way to make up your mind is to suspend your senses and dabble with this for a while.

This movie is nuts. A limping Tatum and a one armed Driver, joined by a crazy Craig attempt one crazy redneck robbery only for things to not quite go as planned.

The premise alone is fun, but seeing these actors in these roles is just a riot. James Bond playing a crazy southern bomb maker? Yes please. Kylo Ren as a slow but purposeful hillbilly? Double yes. Seriously, Driver may be one of the best actors working these days and this one definitely shows some of his range.

I feel like this needs another watch, it was fun and I definitely liked it but there was something there preventing me for getting 100% sucked in to the experience. Fortunately, this will be a treat to revisit at some point.

I'd like to preface this by saying that southern humor is hilarious to me. Talking in an exaggerated country accent can exponentially elevate any film's comedic level. That's a big reason why I think O Brother Where Art Thou is such comedic gold. And Hell or High Water wouldn't be the same without the southern setting and chippy dialogue.

Anyway, this was a funny movie. It was also a wildly entertaining movie. What if lacked in depth, it made up for in charm. This won't be for everyone, but if you're in the mood for a robbery movie that doesn't take itself too seriously, then watch this one.

Was on my radar for a long time.

Saw this recently on Amazon Prime.

Was a treat to see Adam Driver, Channing Tatum n Daniel Craig together.

The movie moves at a good pace n the performances are top notch.

Steven Soderbergh has never been one of my favorite directors, but you have to respect the diversity of his output. He appears to be about as whimsical as a filmmaker can be, given the dedication and discipline of such a medium, taking on projects as they intrigue him for the pure pleasure of the craft and the journey of the creation. I almost wonder if he even pays much attention when his films are released; it seems more likely he's already preoccupied at that point with whatever's next.

Logan Lucky is another take on the "cool heist" subgenre already explored by Soderbergh in the Ocean's Eleven franchise. This one takes place in the South and leaves no character archetype of such a milieu unexploited. The cast is great, with Adam Driver's laconic, minimalistic performance as an ex-soldier-turned-bartender being the standout for me. He gives Buster Keaton a run for his money as far as brilliantly expressive stone-faced characters are concerned.

Like a lot of heist movies (or con man films), the plot is a bit too intricate for its own good. Much of the fun in the first act of the film (the dry wit of the character interactions) subsides as the complexities of the plan are illustrated for the audience. Such movies tend to fall in love with the cleverness of their own mechanics, and that's not particularly what I'm there for. Fortunately there are a couple of uproarious set pieces sprinkled amidst the job itself that redeem all the exposition and the a-to-b-to-c logistics. It also takes too long to end. But I watched Logan Lucky with a group of friends and it was a definite crowd-pleaser, so obviously the flaws are not overwhelming.

I saw this film at a drive-in, and it was the second film in the double feature I had gone to see. For the culturally deprived, drive-ins still show two features. Anyway, this film was a revelation. At first I had expected that the working-class characters would fall into their designated stereotypes and we'd chug along to an easily-expected finish.

Not so much.

Actually, the characters were nicely filled out, there were stereotypes but not the ones I expected, and the movie had some rather nice convolutions to it and contrary to some other reviewers I found the late-arriving Hillary Swank to be a really interesting addition to the cast - and a possible bell-weather to a sequel. Just sayin'. There was comedy, drama, some real-world concerns and a lot more. Go see it. The cast and script alone will make it worth your while.

This was probably my 4th or 5th time watching "Logan Lucky". The movie ages like fine wine. Each new veiwing just gets better and better, and with each new viewing you pick up on something you hadn't before. The characters are witty, perfectly flawed, oddly relatable, and surprisingly ethical, which makes the heist they're attempting to pull off even better.

Playing out almost as a less professional, backwater 'Ocean's Eleven (2001)' with simple-minded folk trying to pull off a no-frills yet fairly daring heist under the radar to support themselves the only way they know how (since most of them are disabled in some way), 'Logan Lucky' is a story mostly told without any embellishments and a real earthy quality that runs opposite to the slick trend usually seen in con-capers of the kind. It's entertaining until the third act screeches to a halt and the picture runs along for far too long after the main event has been and gone. The flick instead chooses to take its time winding-down until it tries to inject some unnecessary intelligence in a forced revelation that does nothing other than hurt the piece. Soderbergh tends to get distracted by peripheral elements that take too much screen-time with too little impact to be relevant. The motivations for all the characters are paper thin, too, and they're never fully realised so it all ends up feeling a little pointless. It is consistently fun, though, and never as predictable as it threatens to be, but it's odd that the director chose to come out of retirement for something other than the best heist thriller he's ever made. 6/10

2/9/18. Good ole boys breaks out a convict to help them carry out a heist. Meh. It's not like you haven't seen this story before in some other movie or two. The heist part was ok, the rest was sort of stupid.

Greetings again from the darkness. When we think of public figures retiring, we typically accept that athletes, politicians and entertainers will no longer be honing their craft or grinding in their profession. Perhaps they will write their memoirs, or even dodge TMZ completely by spending their days fishing or playing golf. When Oscar winning film director Steven Soderbergh announced he was "retiring" from making movies after his 2013 SIDE EFFECTS, he simply transitioned to television (excellence in "The Knick"). Most of us assumed it was only a matter of time until he returned to the medium that made him famous. This "retirement" lasted less than 4 years.

When a line in the film describes it as "Ocean's 7-11", we can assume this is Mr. Soderbergh admitting that his "Ocean's" trilogy was the inspiration for this comedy-satire heist film focusing on a well-planned crime by a team of siblings, rednecks and convicts. Channing Tatum, Adam Driver and Riley Keough star as the Logan clan – Jimmy, Clyde, and Mellie, respectively. With NASCAR as the target, the Logans are joined by the Bangs: Sam (Brian Gleeson), Fish (Jack Quaid), and Joe (a scene-stealing bleached blonde Daniel Craig).

Joining in the unconventional Hicksville fun are Katie Holmes and David Denman as Jimmy's ex-wife and her new husband, a recently shorn Sebastian Stan as a race car driver, Seth MacFarlane as an obnoxiously rich blow-hard, Katherine Waterston in a too-brief role as a traveling medic, Hilary Swank as a determined FBI Agent, and Dwight Yoakum as a prison warden who rarely admits a problem. Also playing a key role is the music of John Denver … a move that teeters between tribute and punchline.

The set up and characters lend themselves to more laughter than we actually experience. There are more awkward moments than hilarious ones. As examples, brother Clyde's (Driver) artificial hand is the center of focus on a few occasions, as are Joe Bang's (Craig) expertise in science, and the small town West Virginia addiction to child beauty pageants. Their racetrack robbery plan is both ingenious and preposterous, which is also a fitting description of the film.

A writing credit goes to "Rebecca Blunt", which in keeping with Soderbergh's tradition, is a pseudonym (or nom de plume) for an unnamed writer (likely Soderbergh himself). The film mostly succeeds in delivering the opposite of the traditional Ocean's slickness, and it's entertaining to watch Channing Tatum and Daniel Craig (the credits list him as "introducing Daniel Craig) having such a good time on screen. While it doesn't deliver the laughs of FREE FIRE or TALLADEGA NIGHTS, it is nice to have Soderbergh back where he belongs. Rather than an instant classic, it's more likely to be remembered for Soderbergh's attempt to change the movie distribution channels … Google can provide the details if you are interested.

With a great cast and a fun redneck setting, this movie is clever and funny within the individual scenes. However, the way that all of the separate scenes are pieced together to form this heist is pretty sloppy. It doesn't give enough details about the heist to be convincing, and although some of schenanigans are, at times, ridiculous enough to be laughed off, it sometimes gets to the point where it just feels like lazy writing. Because of the poor editing the pulling off of the heist becomes confusing, and just when the movie feel like it should reach a "climax," your left with missing information and then the film continues for another 30 minutes trying to...explain everything..? But really doesn't get that job done either. HOWEVER--that being said, the dialog was great and the cast just pulls these characters off so well that I would be totally willing to see this movie again.

Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) is a former football star with a bum leg. He loses his construction job at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. His wealthy ex-wife threatens to move out of state taking their daughter with her. With his sister Mellie (Riley Keough) and one-handed Iraq-vet brother Clyde (Adam Driver), he devises a plan to rob the Speedway during a hectic race. They recruit explosive expert Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) despite him being locked up in prison. There are also Joe's idiot hillbilly tech brothers Sam and Fish.

This is a fun little caper. Director Steven Soderbergh delivers every bit of white trash joy. The problem for me is that I don't believe in these characters. I don't know if anybody is from the south but certainly, 007 is no southerner. It's a wacky time in the vain of his Ocean movies. I kept seeing a platinum blonde James Bond which pulled me out of the movie. I wonder if Soderbergh didn't have to force his southern origins. I like the caper until the twist on the caper. Those surprise twist often comes in these movies but this one has a lot of conveniences. Overall, there are loads of light fun if one is willing.

A few years ago director Steven Soderbergh made no secret of his waning passion for filmmaking. He announced his intention to retire from feature films following the release of 2013's Behind the Candelabra and cited his desire to pursue other creative interests. Well, it may have taken four years (and a brief stint directing TV's The Knick) to reignite his filmmaking passion, but Soderbergh proves his hand behind the camera is as assured as ever in the rollicking heist caper Logan Lucky.

Aptly described by Soderbergh himself as an "anti-glam version of an Ocean's movie", Logan Lucky is a return to the style of filmmaking that made his Ocean's trilogy box office hits. The film moves at a neat pace, features a strong ensemble cast and is packed with enough twist and turns to keep things interesting throughout its two hour running time.

The story follows the Logan family, brothers Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde (Adam Driver) and their sister Mellie Logan (Riley Keough), who are known for their family history of bad-luck. After loosing his job at a mine located underneath the Charlotte Motor Speedway, Jimmy plans to pull of an elaborate heist to put the Logan's financial woes behind them and break the family curse. With intricate knowledge of a series of underground tubes that run from the Speedway to a central bank vault filled with millions of dollars, Jimmy sees the perfect opening to rob the vault during a NARSCAR race. To pull it off, he enlists the help of his siblings along with bomb expert Joe Bang (a scene stealing Daniel Craig) and his two brothers, Sam (Brian Gleeson) and Fish Bang (Jack Quaid). The only problem: Joe's in prison. So on top of concocting a plan to steal the cash, they'll need to figure out a way to break Joe out of prison and get him back with no one the wiser. No pressure.

It's a zany comedy about unremarkable characters punching well above their weight but through sheer luck managing to pull things off. Half the fun of the film is seeing things not happening to plan but somehow working out in the end. To its credit, the film never treats itself too seriously and invites you to laugh along with the character's mishaps and the farcical parts of the story are frequently the funniest. One gag involving a prison riot and a jab at Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin's glacial writing pace is as screwy as it is funny.

For the most part, the film moves along at a nice pace. Just like in the Ocean's films, Soderbergh (who edits his own film) employs slick, fast cut editing to keep the heist scenes interesting and involving. He also manages to make good use of an impressive ensemble cast, with the likes of Seth MacFarlane, Katie Holmes, Katherine Waterston and Sebastian Stan all making minor but memorable appearances. And while Adam Driver and Channing Tatum both give impressive performances, the standout is an almost unrecognisable Daniel Craig playing blue-collar criminal Joe Bang. An explosions expert sporting a heavy southern accent and bright blonde hair, he's an anti-glam version of Bond if you will. It's Craig's impeccable comedic timing that will make you wish the Bond films would let him exercise his comedic chops a little bit more.

It's only in the last act that the film starts to feel a little played out. The introduction of Hillary Swank as a Special Agent in the last 20 minutes of the film feels a little rushed and ultimately doesn't really go anywhere. Instead, the story continues through a number of false endings, not entirely sure when to bring down the curtain.

Overall, as the first feature to draw Soderbergh out of semi-retirement, Logan Lucky is clearly something he wanted to make and his passion comes through in the final product. Produced entirely on his own and without studio interference, Logan Lucky inverts the glamour and opulence of the Ocean's trilogy without loosing the series' trademark quirks and high entertainment value. If Logan Lucky is intended to act as sort of push-back of the Hollywood system and studio meddling, then Soderbergh has succeeded at both proving a point and making you laugh while doing it.

Enjoyable but complicated farce with excellent potrayals by Adam Driver, Channing Tatum and Dennis Craig.

The best comedy/drama I've watched lately. Sure, there were some minor plot holes, but they don't change the fact this is a genuinely fun-to-watch movie. I laughed so hard at times my whole body hurts.

"Logan Lucky" is directed by Steven Soderbergh, written by a woman whose name may in fact be a pseudonym for Steven Soderbergh. Not only is he back from retirement, he's adding to the growing number of female filmmakers.

The movie is all about the Logan brothers. Jimmy was supposed to be a big football star but then a leg injury ruined all that. Clyde lost his arm in the war in Iraq. There's a rumor that the whole family might be cursed, one the brothers want to dispel.

Jimmy just lost a mining job because of his disability and apparently the brothers used to pull small heist jobs years ago, but now Jimmy has a huge plan for a big score- robbing the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

To do it they need the help of Joe Bang, a safe cracker who they happen to need to break out of prison.

He's played by Daniel Craig, doing his best Southern accent. Listening to Craig do it is hilarious in and of itself, but Bang is also just a goof in general.

Accents in general are most of the best laughs here. This movie is like the Southern answer to "Fargo" in that way. Channing Tatum and Adam Driver do a nice job with this stuff too.

The other is that this movie is like "Oceans Hillbillies".

Tatum and Driver aren't the sharpest tools in the shed but they're easy enough to root for.

Two brothers here who seem to have been dropped on their heads repeatedly as babies. They steal the show whenever they're on screen.

Leading up to the robbery that's what this is- it's just a nice, dumb comedy that's as slickly told as any of Soderbergh's past work. Does it get a bit slow? Yes, but every time there is a meeting of the minds between this dummards, it's pretty funny.

Once the robbery jumps into high gear though Soderbergh doesn't pull any stops. From a stubborn prison Warden played by Dwight Yoakum, a very clever explosive device, and one of the best pop culture jokes since "The Lego Batman Movie" during a prison riot, Soderbergh knows comedy.

He also knows how to fight to make movies his way. Using a 2 point plan, he actually managed to fund this thing mostly by himself because of the currently weak studio system that hardly ever produces anything for adults.

Knowing that it's easy to avoid some of the more half-formed characters here, like Sebastian Stan's speedway driver or Seth MacFarlane as his manager. Also this thing seems like it's about to end and then Hillary Swank shows up for 20 mostly useless minutes. It has to many endings.

But otherwise this is solid comedy where everyone brings their A-game and makes for a fun, if a bit too long, flick to while away the dog days of summer.

If you guys like this, check out Craig James Review on Youtube for more.

I used to live in WV so it was really funny to see the accurate depictions of its people. I even enjoyed this a lot more than Ocean's.

Very watchable.

Sorta turned it into. Bit of a spoof of its self with Seth Macfarlanes awful acting

Can't maintain an accent. Pull off a wig or grow a moustache evidentially.

Really got under my skin

The only reason I didn't check my watch is because I wasn't wearing one. What a waste of a great cast and characters.

This movie is mildly entertaining for the first 30 minutes. It doesn't go downhill from there; but it kind of meanders along like it is lost in the woods and never finds its way home.

The skeletal structure is there for a great film; but there is no meat on them bones. There are no laugh out loud moments, only a few chuckles here and there.