LOGAN LUCKY - ***/*****

By Val Kilmer

 "Who the fuck is Rebecca Blunt?"

 After an abysmal month a mediocre attempts we are finally given a film that is worth your money, sort of. Logan Lucky is directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, and Daniel Craig, and is the story of a down on his luck construction worker played by Tatum who, after being fired from his job, resorts to planning the heist to end all heists in order to make a score big enough for him to be able to provide for his daughter. Sound familiar? While Logan Lucky does nothing new with the genre with a lot of the same tired tropes playing out as they would in a film such as Tower Heist or Ocean's Eleven, which the film's characters even taking note of referring to the heist as Ocean's 7/11. After some research on Soderbergh's directing history it's no surprise that he is responsible for the remake of not only Ocean's Eleven but also its sequels. What Logan Lucky does do well is provide likable characters to drive the plot of an otherwise by the book narrative. Tatum's relatable Jimmy Logan provides the movie's heart, Craig's Joe Bang occupies one third of the films comic relief, but, it is Adam Driver's subtle, almost autistic, performance as Clyde Logan that is by far the diamond in a film of stones. That is not to say the rest of the cast is anything to scoff at, like a stone they are strong and provide the foundation for the film, but, it is Driver who stands out from the pack. Being that Logan Lucky is billed as a comedy over a crime drama, going into the movie I did expect more of a romp, however this is not the case. Although the film carries a light and comical tone I did not find many of the jokes landing with me, that is with the exception of five especially stand out gems in the comedy department. I know it may be weird to specifically count how many jokes you laugh at during the viewing of a film, but it is to the movies credit they are good enough in context to stick with you. I specify, "in context" because you will not elicit laughs or chuckles from your friends repeating them in the parking lot after it is over or at the office Monday morning. Logan Lucky is very middle of the road, never dipping into the negative but also never reaching the heights of its potential. - 3 out of 5 stars.