The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Four years after officially retiring from the business, writer-director Steven Soderbergh – see Out of Sight, Traffic, Ocean’s Eleven – returns to the big screen with yet another hit –  this time a West Virginia-based crime-caper, Logan Lucky. Working from a script written by newcomer Rebecca Blunt, Soderbergh is very much at home with his latest on-screen project; witty and at times even heartwarming, Soderbergh delivers a powerful and a thoroughly entertaining tale of crime, resulting in a film that is fueled by an outstanding ensemble cast, a well-written script and masterful direction which is hard to deny.

Ever since they can recall, the Logan brothers have been cursed with bad luck. See, Clyde Logan (Driver being his usual ‘Driver’ self) lost his arm in the military and is now working as a bartender, while Jimmy, (Channing Tatum sporting a highly entertaining Southern drawl) has just managed to lose his job at a construction site – located at the Charlotte Motor Speedway NASCAR track – due to an old leg injury.

Adding to his troubles is his ex-wife, Bobbie Jo Chapman (Holmes), who is threatening to take their daughter, Sadie (Mackenzie), with her when she moves to Virginia with her new husband, auto-dealer Moody (Denman).

Realising that he will need some serious money if he is to take any legal action against his ex-wife, Jimmy soon convinces his brother that they should rob the track. However, as they won’t be able to pull off the job on their own, they soon reach out to a legendary criminal, Joe Bang (played by the unrecognisable Daniel Craig) who is currently being held up in a maximum-security prison. Enlisting additional help from their sister, Mellie (Keough), and Joe’s brothers, Fish (Quaid) and Sam (Gleeson), the unlikely group of criminals are soon brought together, hoping that their mission, which is due to go down during the highly-publicised Coca-Cola 600 race in Charlotte, will go without a glitch.

Fast-paced and cleverly plotted, Lucky Logan is a real treat. Directed with a great sense of ease and a whole load of fun, Soderbergh creates a world that is hard not to get immersed in and a place, unlike the one created in any of the Ocean’s movies, is occupied with small, simple-minded town folks who, despite the immorality of their aspirations, are hard not fall in love with and root for.

What makes the story even more interesting, is how the characters are all clearly defined and despite their unsophisticated nature, are always one step ahead of the audience. It’s brilliantly unpredictable to say the least.

Shot with remarkable precision, Soderbergh also manages to create visually appealing sequences throughout, while all of the actors – Craig taking home the biggest prize as the off-the-rails criminal with a talent of breaking into vaults – are all clearly having the greatest of times and are game for whatever is thrown their way.

All in all, Logan Lucky is a clever, goofy and a thoroughly entertaining ride which has managed to integrate all of the right elements – interesting characters, crafty plot and a heavy dose of humour – in order to deliver a genuinely enjoyable and amusing time at the movies.