Director Steven Soderbergh is back behind the camera, and this time he's going into the deep south with his new heist film, LOGAN LUCKY. If you're thinking this film is going to have George Clooney and Brad Pitt decked out in fashionable suits as they strut around the glamorous casinos in Las Vegas, think again. Soderbergh is revving up his comedic wit with two down-on-their-luck West Virginian rednecks looking to steal millions from an upcoming car race.
Soderbergh is teaming up once again with Magic Mike star, Channing Tatum, and pairs him with Kylo Ren actor Adam Driver. The actors play Jimmy and Clyde Logan, who come from a family in West Virginia that are known to have a history of bad luck. In the new UK trailer, we get to see how the Logan brothers look to turn their luck around with redneck style.
Steven Soderbergh has already shown us what he can do with heist film set in the high style and fashion of the Ocean's movies. Now he looks to trade in the glitz and the glam for some southern drawls and trucker hats. Let's take a look at how this heist is all about redneck style:
A Redneck Cast
Just like the OCEAN’S 11 ensemble cast, LOGAN LUCKY has its share of Hollywood actors, including Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, Katherine Waterston, Seth Mac Farlane, Sebastian Stan and Katie Holmes. Just don't expect any Armani suits or Gucci shoes on this set!
In the trailer, Channing Tatum is seen sporting some rugged looking overalls, and Adam Driver is walking around in dirty printed t-shirts and a mesh hat. Even MacFarlane is shown wearing a western-style button-up shirt. All these costumes just make the audience want to root for the lovable losers.
Right from the get go, Jimmy Logan (Tatum) loses his job and then gets into a brawl at a local bar, and his brother Clyde (Driver), complete with prosthetic arm, comes to his rescue. But it's Daniel Craig that is a true surprise. Locked in jail with bleached blond hair, Craig plays Joe Bang, a criminal known for his expertise in making bombs. It's not every day we get to see Craig in a comedy role, but listening to him speak with his Southern twang accent is just as golden as the hair on his head.
From Casinos, To A Race Track
Like all heist films, there's always a target the characters are looking to steal. I think in LOGAN LUCKY, the heist is just little more reasonable, or at least it's a dollar amount that makes more sense. Jimmy and Clyde Logan are looking to steal $14 million from the Charlotte Motor Speedway. No high rollers dropping wads of cash at a poker table here folks. Just a couple of good old boys looking to rob the hard-earned money from some salt-of-the-earth, NASCAR-loving Southerners.
Their Plan Is A To-Do List
If you're going to rob something, you need a plan, right? Every good heist film needs a plan, but don't expect any of the elaborate schemes we saw in the OCEAN’S 11 movies. Instead, the Logan brothers have it all worked out in a list that's hanging on their refrigerator. They don't have any experience swindling people, and that's why they need the help of a professional: Joe Bang and his bomb-making skills.
This is quite the departure compared to the Ocean's trilogy. Clooney, Pitt, Damon and the rest of Danny's Ocean's crew were all professionals, each one had a special talent that played a specific part in each of the plans. Every one of the plans were perfectly executed with precision. It remains to be seen how Jimmy and Clyde work together and with the help a convict named Joe Bang.
What's so great about heist films is that it doesn't matter where they take place, or who is starring in them, we all get wrapped in the planning and interactions with the characters so much, that we sometimes forget what they're even try to steal. With Soderbergh's keen understanding of heist films, and his use of comedic elements, this could go down as one of the greatest heist films.
LOGAN LUCKY is out in theaters August 18, 2017.
Are you looking forward to Logan Lucky?
