Review of Logan Lucky (2017) by Karyl K — 22 Aug 2017

Great script, great movie, great cast, unforeseeable plot twists. I'm a retired criminal law lawyer, so when I see crime cases involving the intricacies of jails, I'm prepared for disappointment. Not so this script. No details are overlooked, all ends are tied up. This is one of the most intelligent scripts involving a jail that I have ever seen performed. And it's a comedy. A very good one.

The jail is, of course, not the only location. But I love that the screenwriter paid so much attention to details an old pro like me would notice. I hope this is considered for some best original screenplay awards.

Performances great throughout, especially the Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, Riley Keough, Jack Quaid, & Farrah Mackenzie. There were other notable supporting performances as well. Just a beautifully cast movie.

I'm writing this, in part, because this movie is underperforming at the box office. I don't get it. I've seen 100 dumb cop films that got everything wrong. This one is so smart and so right, as well as massively entertaining. I know better from my two decades in the criminal justice system to expect justice, but the underwhelming box office performance of this film is an injustice. Don't you want to see Daniel Craig play brilliantly a Southern cracker safecracker? Jack Quaid, offspring of Dennis Quaid & Meg Ryan, was hilarious. And, come on, Adam Driver/Darth Vader as a one-armed bartender? Who doesn't need to see that?

So go forth, my moviegoing friends, and treat yourself to one of the best cinematic crime capers ever. And, I mean, going back to early film noir terrific, though not so artsy; but a well-crafted film that has everything going for it. Even a child beauty pageant that isn't annoying or cloying.