Halfway through this heist flick, there is a sequence that reveals more clearly to outsiders what the US is all about than anything you might see on the news or read in countless columns of the commentariat. The Coca-Cola 600, an annual NASCAR event, is about to commence.
Before the cars rev up, however, there is the obligatory overwrought rendition of America the Beautiful, with thousands standing, hands over their hearts, as a parachutist glides to ground training the Stars ’n’ Bars. Director Steven Sodergergh is not mocking these people or the culture they represent, but you can’t help viewing the spectacle in the light of the recent incident at Charlottesville. Having just been sacked and needing money for an anticipated custody battle with his ex-wife, Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and his brother Clyde (Adam Driver), a one-handed bartender, hatch a plan to rob the till at the big motor race. To do it they enlist the help of renowned safe-blower Joe Bang (Daniel Craig), who is at present in the clink. This type of movie, involving many participants collaborating on a grand larceny (with the audience’s approval), usually has urbane guys in Ray-Bans and Italian suits pulling off the jig (Ocean’s Eleven etc), but Jimmy and his crew are white trash, and the women, sister Mellie (Riley Keough – Elvis’s granddaughter) and divorcee Bobbie Jo (Katie Holmes), are not exactly blue-stocking sophisticates. It makes for a funnier, more earthy take on the formula and leaves you with the strong impression that Soderbergh was a big fan of TV’s My Name Is Earl. The plot stalls briefly as its complexity grows, but Tatum’s boofheaded charm wins the day when concentration is stretched, as does Craig’s turn as a career crook with a Southern drawl – enjoying immensely his release from the duties as 007. A beautifully cheesy performance of Country Roads by Jimmy’s little girl and a clever summation are value-added extras.
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