Logan Lucky

Logan Lucky is one of Steven Soderbergh’s deceptively lightweight genre excursions, and he borrows elements from previous works ranging from the Ocean’s trilogy to Magic Mike to Out of Sight. Soderbergh often struggles to find a balance between following his clinical inclinations and fulfilling commercial expectations, but Logan Lucky hits a sweet spot. Channing Tatum gives a sturdy star performance as Jimmy Logan, an unemployed West Virginia construction worker who schemes to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway, while Adam Driver plays Jimmy’s one-armed brother Clyde and Riley Keough slings attitude as their gearhead sister Mellie. As with any halfway decent heist film, the fun comes from watching the characters create and execute a seemingly impossible plan, with all the setbacks, double crosses and audience misdirects that entails. In that respect, Logan Lucky is a roaring success, endlessly entertaining as a process movie without sacrificing any of its good-natured swagger. D.B.