This movie is a great back-and-forth thriller, full of backstabs and turnarounds to keep the audience guessing. It has excellent production value, as is at this point expected of Steven Soderbergh, and the acting and script do not disappoint.
Closest comparison: It’s like Jackie Brown mixed with Mad Men and Uncut Gems.
Setting: Gangster
Plot: Crime
Tone: Thriller
This movie is a pretty faithful remake of the original, complete with pensive pacing and inherent ambiguities in the plot and its resolution. It’s cerebral sci-fi that doesn’t have as much to say as it seems to think it does, using an interesting concept to propel a somewhat less interesting story.
Closest comparison: It’s like Ad Astra by way of Melancholia (2011).
Setting: Grounded Sci-Fi
Plot: Mind-Bending Sci-Fi
Tone: Dramatic Sci-Fi
The most fascinating part of this movie is its predictive qualities, weaving its narrative like CNN coverage of 2020, albeit nine years before it happened. The direction is dry but the acting, cinematography, and editing more than make up for it. The story is grounded and human, taking the good with the bad in a docudrama style that works well for the subject matter. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really go anywhere and can’t manage to pull the threads together in the end.
Content warning: mild gore
Closest comparison: It’s like Munich by way of Babel.
Setting: Spy Thriller
Plot: Disaster
Tone: DocuDrama
This is big budget proof of concept that feels like an indie project. It’s fairly uneven from its acting to its pacing, but the parts that hit are really well done. The fight scenes feel like choreography, but that of a very high caliber, well executed and a thrill to watch. The framing for the “in medias res” plot structure is pretty contrived and while it’s used in many stories it unfortunately doesn’t work here. If you like good action and don’t mind an overused plot, this movie is definitely worth a watch.
Closest comparison: It’s like Mission: Impossible by way of The Bourne Identity.
Setting: Espionage
Plot: Thriller
Tone: Action
This is a classic and for good reason. It’s one of the most fun heist films out there and it keeps the action snappy by pairing it with an incredible soundtrack. And it boasts some classic lines like “gaudy monstrosity” that rank right up there with other all-time greats like “you were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off”. That being said, it has its flaws. Julia Robert’s character arc is rushed and even thought the heist itself is witty there are aspects that don’t make sense upon close inspection. None of that is enough to keep this from being one of the most fun heist movies ever put to film.
Closest comparison: It’s the casino heist movie by which all others are measured.
Setting: Heist
Plot: Heist
Tone: Comedy
This movie is fantastic. Directed by Steven Soderbergh (dir. Ocean's 11) it's like what would happen if hillbillies pulled a heist. I was a bit worried it was going to be sardonic toward West Virginians but it's very much not, which I loved. It's actually really close to a 5/5 for me, but there is a small issue about who gets the money at the end and how it's divided that it would have definitely been a better movie if they had cleared up that point. But it's great, and if you like Ocean's 11 and West Virginia you should definitely go see it.
