Directing: A
Acting: A-
Writing: A-
Cinematography: B+
Editing: A-

Any time someone says they're never doing something again, don't believe them. Every "Farewell Tour" by any singer or band inevitably winds up followed by what might as well be called "The Just Kidding Tour." And Steven Soderbergh, who insisted he was done with theatrical motion pictures, took all of four years to return triumphant with Logan Lucky, easily one of his best films, and certainly his most fun since Ocean's Eleven (2001).

And Logan Lucky has a fair amount in common with Ocean's Eleven, which it even acknowledges in its own tightly polished script -- by one Rebecca Blunt, and here's a new twist: with no other credits, her bio on iMDB.com states, in part, "As of July 2017, suspected to be a fictitious person; a pseudonym for an, as yet, unidentified person." Whoever she is, she's an excellent writer. I honestly hope it's not Soderbergh himself. Anyway, a news segment in the film has people calling the heist around which the story revolves "Ocean's Seven-Eleven." Wink-wink. They also call it "the Hillbilly Heist." Clever.

Because, you see, Logan Lucky is essentially Ocean's Eleven meets O Brother, Where Art Thou? It just has characters who are far less sophisticated than those in the former film, yet far smarter than those in the latter. Channing Tatum is Jimmy Logan, laid off of his job because he failed to disclose his limp which qualifies as a "preexisting condition." He enlists the help of his one-handed veteran bartender brother Clyde Logan (Adam Driver) and his hairdresser sister Mellie Logan (Riley Keough) to snatch a bunch of the money out of the vault underneath the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina during the Coca-Cola 600 race.

Soderbergh introduces us to Jimmy and Clyde in a somewhat serious way as the movie opens. If you haven't seen the trailer and go into this movie cold, the beginning would make you think it was a drama. But Soderbergh has many tricks up his sleeve, not least of which is how he expertly, and gradually, makes the story more fun -- and funny -- as it goes along. This is the rare movie that is genuinely full of surprises.

Consider this: Logan Lucky has a large ensemble cast playing exclusively Southerners, and it never judges them, or even hints at its audience judging them. Not even when Jimmy's daughter, who is parented by Jimmy as the semi-absent father and a mother played by Katie Holmes in a welcome supporting part, participates in the Miss West Virginia Pageant. She's got enough makeup on that to be almost creepy, but this movie treats it like a normal part of Southern life. And maybe there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, the choice of the song the girl opts to sing during the pageant becomes a key plot point. In any case, this is one movie Southerners can watch without feeling like their intelligence is being insulted.

Jimmy and Clyde need an explosives expert friend who is in prison to assist them in getting into the vault. This guy, Joe Bang, is played by Daniel Craig, clearly having a blast. Jack Quaid and Brian Gleeson also show up as Fish Bang and Sam Bang, his smart yet unwise brothers. And I haven't even gotten yet to Hilary Swank and Macon Blair as the FBI agents who don't even show up until about the last quarter of the film, or Seth MacFarlane, totally unrecognizable as one of the NASCAR drivers. Steven Soderbergh seems to be gaining something in common with Woody Allen: a wide swath of Hollywood talent is clearly eager to be part of his ensemble casts, no matter how small the part.

And every such part here is key, and fits perfectly into a complex story told with as much skill and empathy as humor; the performances are top notch across the board. This is rare for a comedy, although this film is not strictly comedy. It's more of a crime drama that also happens to be consistently funny. There is real depth to all of the characters, even the ones that seem to exist for comic relief. They all have many dimensions, and feel genuine and real.

Perhaps most importantly, Logan Lucky will simply leave you with a huge grin on your face, its ending tying a bunch of supporting characters together in a sort of succession of callbacks that is uniquely clever. This is a story that ends both warming the heart and just making you feel happy. It's a crowd pleaser with emotional heft. The more I think about this movie the more impressed I am with it. It defies you to underestimate it.

*Channing Tatum, Daniel Craig and Adam Driver hatch a plan that will surprise and delight you.*

Overall: A-