Jimmy Logan has just been laid off from his job as a construction worker and he needs money if he is to provide for his daughter. He has an idea to rob NASCAR racing. His brother, Clyde, sister, Mellie, and a jailbird, Joe Bang, participate in this robbery.
Blaine: Rebecca Blunt is known to be the person who wrote the story for “Logan Lucky”. But she might not exist. The rumor is “Logan Lucky" was really written by Jules Asner, a former journalist and the wife of director Steven Soderbergh. This is the first screenplay Jules has ever written, if the rumors are true, and who better to direct it than her husband, Steven. Steven Soderbergh hadn’t directed any movies for the past four years after “Side Effects”. He was putting his time into television shows. He directed an entire series that lasted two seasons and he was also producing stuff like “The Girlfriend Experience”, a series based on his film from 2009. Steven is a workaholic. He’s always jumping into one project after the other and he works fast. Steven wasn’t sure if he would go back to directing movies because he was so attached to television shows. Steven read the script for “Logan Lucky” and it was the type of movie he knew he’d like to see. Steven was planning to hire someone else to direct “Logan Lucky”, but it didn’t take that long for him to realize that he wanted to direct it himself. I think it would be better for Steven to direct the first movie his wife had written. Working on the project would be like a couple’s thing. One of the things Steven Soderbergh is best known for is directing the three “Ocean’s” movies, and “Logan Lucky” resembles that type of heist movie, but in more of a funny and West Virginia way.
Steven felt “Logan Lucky” would be challenging to make, even though it was a movie that was scheduled to shoot for only thirty six days. What was challenging was NASCAR racing. Steven has always had trouble understanding how NASCAR racing works and one of the main subjects of the story is a NASCAR stadium because that’s where the robbery is happening. The Vice President of NASCAR informed Steven that NASCAR should be shown in the right way in “Logan Lucky”. So Steven had to do some research and what he learned helped him understand NASCAR racing better and he ended up becoming a fan in the end.
The Logan family are treated as though they don’t matter. Jimmy doesn’t like it when jerks insult him and his family. Jimmy gets fired from his job just because he has a bad leg and limps a lot, even though he is good at his job. His brother, Clyde, thinks the Logan family is cursed because of all the rotten luck they have. Clyde lost his arm from one of his tours in Iraq. Of course that happens to a lot of people who are involved with that kind of stuff. You would think people would have more respect for someone who has fought for the country. Jimmy and Clyde, and their sister, Mellie, manage to stay strong and they don’t give up on life. They also have each other and they have some unique qualities. Like Jimmy is a man with a plan, and he knows the perfect way they can rob NASCAR. The thing that keeps Jimmy alive is his daughter, Sadie. Jimmy’s ex-wife, Bobbie, played by Katie Holmes, is married to a wealthy man and she treats Jimmy like he is nothing, even though he’s a good father to his daughter. He’s more protective I would say and fun. Where as the mother acts like a snob. She looks like she might be trying to take that sweetness away from Sadie, and that concerns Jimmy a bit. But Sadie won’t become a snob, she’ll always be Jimmy's sweet girl and nothing will change that.
The first actor that came to Steven’s mind was Channing Tatum, who he had worked with before on “Side Effects” and “Magic Mike”. Channing thought it sounded funny when he heard the story was about people robbing NASCAR. Steven asked himself who should play the brother, Clyde? It didn’t matter if they looked the same, it depended on if they looked good together. Then Adam Driver came to mind and well, that was it. The makeup department applied a wig and fascial hair on Channing Tatum’s face, so he could pass as Adam Driver’s brother.
Another actor who has a work history with Steven Soderbergh is Riley Keough. She had a small role in “Magic Mike” and had starred in season one of “The Girlfriend Experience”. Riley loved that this family, who don’t have much in life, manage to find a way to succeed. Riley was also very excited to be playing a strong female character like Mellie. Mellie has only two interests in life, beauty and fast cars. She works at a beauty salon and it’s her job to make Jimmy’s daughter, Sadie, look good for the beauty pageant she is participating in. Mellie is also the get away driver during the robbery. She can drive anything. Riley had to learn how to drive stick, even though the stunt driver was doing all the driving, but there are shots that focus on Riley behind the wheel. She found working with stick to be weird, but she was happy she was able to work with it. Mellie is the very calm type and is very clever as well. Bobbie’s husband, Moody, keeps talking about his cars to Mellie, and on the day of the robbery, Mellie hot-wires his car and uses it as the getaway car. If you ask me that’s a good cover up by using someone else’s car instead of your own. There’s more to Mellie's job than just being the getaway driver, but you don’t know that until later on.
The Logans need help from a jailbird named Joe Bang. Their plan is to help him break out, so he can help them with the job. Steven Soderbergh knows Daniel Craig is a great actor who can be the action hero and the funny guy. Daniel Craig can express himself through his performance, depending on the role. Daniel stole the show while “Logan Lucky” was in production. He made everyone laugh on set. In the credits for “Logan Lucky”, it says “introducing Daniel Craig”, meaning this is his first ever movie, but that’s a joke. Daniel Craig has been acting since the early 90s and he is now one of the biggest stars out there.
Clyde commits a crime on purpose, so he can go to jail and help Joe Bang break out from the inside. The robbery was originally scheduled to happen in five weeks. How they were going to rob NASCAR was by doing it underground where Jimmy and his construction co-workers were working. But the work is about to be finished and now the robbery has been moved up to one week. Joe and Clyde have the other prisoners make a distraction, while they slip through the cracks and meet up with Jimmy at NASCAR stadium. Mellie is there to give them a ride. They steal the money from the tubes that are underneath the area.
A lot happens the day of the robbery. A big race is going on and it’s the day of the pageant. Jimmy’s daughter, Sadie, is about to perform and he makes it just in time. He wouldn’t miss his daughter’s performance for the world. Sadie was originally planning to sing one of Rhianna’s songs, but she decides to sing “Take Me Home”, by John Denver, Jimmy’s favorite song, to honor him. It shows that Jimmy means something to his daughter.
Not everything went as planned, one with the schedule moving up a few weeks, but it did work out just fine. Everyone covered up their tracks and they got the money. They left some money behind so that way people would think they have recovered all the money. The Logans and Joe go back to their lives, but things are brightening up. Clyde and Joe get released from jail, Jimmy gets a new job and his relationship with Sadie remains close. Jimmy also has a new special someone in his life. A few days ago, Jimmy ran into someone he knew from high school, Sylvia, played by Katherine Waterston. And unlike his ex-wife, Sylvia is more polite and not snobby. He doesn’t recognize her at first, but she knows him as soon as they come across each other. After having a nice conversation with Sylvia, Jimmy wants to get to know her more.
The robbery became a success, but now there’s an FBI agent investigating the robbery, Special agent Sarah Grayson, played by Hillary Swank, and she has clues that lead to the Logan family. Sarah spends a lot of time with her thoughts, putting the details together. Everyone Sarah interviews is looking in another direction. They believe the Logans had nothing to do with the robbery thinking they were somewhere else, like jail and the beauty pageant. Sarah is not blind like them. One of the people she interviews is just happy to get the money back and another is trying to make himself believe he is not lousy at his job. Sarah is not easily fooled. Sarah has the case figured out and knows the Logans and Joe Bang did the robbery, but because there’s no proof they did it, she can’t put them away. The Logans don’t even know there’s someone who is on to them. They’re just enjoying life.
Mellie and Jimmy are having a drink with Joe and Sylvia. Someone comes Clyde’s way and she is speaking Clyde’s language. It’s Special agent Sarah Grayson, dressed in casual clothes. Clyde doesn’t know who Sarah is, but she knows who he is. Why Sarah is there, who knows. Maybe Sarah is going undercover on the Logans. Clyde looks like he is taking an interest in Sarah. Other than that I would say everyone has a happy ending.
“Logan Lucky” received positive reactions and reviews and was a reminder why we love Steven Soderbergh. “Logan Lucky” was a great project to get back into directing movies for Steven Soderbergh. Steven has made a lot of great choices in his career as a director and he puts so much time into his work. Steven is a man who has so much to give in his work.
My rating on “Logan Lucky” is five out of five stars
