When you think about heist movies, chances are Oceans Eleven springs to mind. It's pretty much the blueprint for a slick robbery caper. You probably didn't think of Logan Lucky a criminally underrated and under-seen 2017 flick from Steven Soderbergh, the same director as the Oceans series. Luckily, it is now on Netflix.
In contrast to the glamour of Clooney, Pitt and Julia Roberts' hustling their way through Las Vegas, Logan Lucky features much more humble protagonists. Set in West Virginia (of the famous country roads) our lead, Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) is a struggling single father who has just been let go from his coal-mining gig. His brother is no international mastermind either, Clyde (Adam Driver) is a bartender. Their secret weapon is seasoned criminal Joe Bang (Daniel Craig with a glorious accent), the only problem is he's still in prison. Riley Keough and Katie Holmes are the highlights of a superb supporting cast.
This is all a very promising setup for what is an excellent and very funny attempt to rob a NASCAR track with some rather more homemade methods than you'll find in other movies, there are no super-hackers to be found here. While it's not exactly an intellectual challenge, it's a fun movie made by people who know what they're doing. With a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics it's quality is clear to see. Instead of watching the umpteenth Fast and Furious movie, try Logan Lucky for something a cut above.
I'm not sure if it's a coincidence that every movie where Daniel Craig adopts a southern accent (see also Knives Out and Glass Onion) is incredible, but I'm all for the Bond actor indulging himself with roles like this more often.
If you're looking for something that's more action than comedy, Netflix also has you covered with Extraction 2 or my personal favourite in the genre, Free Fire which foregoes plot almost completely for one epic set piece.
