“Logan Lucky” (Comedy/Crime: 1 hour, 59 minutes)

Starring: Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, Riley Keough and Seth MacFarlane

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Rated: PG-13 (Profanity, violence and crude material)

Movie Review: Steven Soderbergh is known for the crime capers: “Ocean’s Eleven” (2001), “Ocean’s Twelve” (2004) and “Ocean’s Thirteen” (2007). 

Those movies were about sophisticated, big-city criminals who commit the ultimate heists. “Logan Lucky’s” characters are just the opposite. They are a group of rural, unrefined thieves, yet they provide an enjoyable comedic heist.

After losing his job, Jimmy Logan (Tatum) of Boone County, W.Va., decides to use his one-armed brother, Clyde (Driver), sister Mellie (Keough) rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway over Memorial Day weekend during a NASCAR race. The team also needs demolition expert Joe Bang (Craig), an unconventional addition, to aid in their robbery. When events change, the group must speed up plans to make their heist work. 

Soderbergh is the director of famed movies “Erin Brockovich,” (2000) and “Traffic,” (2000). Those are fantastic movies. His crime capers such as “Ocean’s Eleven” have become a staple of modern cinema.

“Lucky Logan” is a nice addition for those looking for a comical escape. It is funny and clever. More important, the characters are eccentrically engaging.

Tatum, Driver and especially Craig are impressive in their perspective comedic roles. Tatum, who is from Cullman, Ala., brings back his Southern roots, providing an engaging character. Driver is good, too, as Tatum’s brother. He and Tatum make a good pairing.

Of course, Craig steals the show as a flamboyant Southerner. His accent and mannerisms provide plenty of moments for laughter. Craig proves he is more than the stiff-upper-lip Bond.

The funny characters, plus others, are interesting. Their heist is intriguingly humorous. Soderbergh and writer Rebecca Blunt offer an engaging movie, even if it plays like an alternate-reality version of “Ocean’s Eleven.” 

Grade: B- (A lucky selection)

“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” (Action/Comedy: 1 hour, 58 minutes)

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Gary Oldman

Director: Patrick Hughes

Rated: R (Violence and profanity)

Movie Review: Think of this movie as Nick Fury meets Deadpool. Jackson and Reynolds are the perfect bromance. They work well in this comedy to make it adventurous entertainment.

Top-rated bodyguard Michael Bryce (Reynolds) has the task of protecting international assassin Darius Kincaid (Jackson). The pairing is not a happy one. Bryce must protect Kincaid and get him safely to the International Court of Justice. The trek will not be easy. Ruthless dictator Vladislav Dukhovich (Oldman) wants to murder Kincaid to keep the hitman from testifying.

Many buddy comedies exist on the notion that two characters, both opposites in nature or moods, must work to achieve a goal. This remains the case here also, so the movie is formulaic.

Yet, despite an overdose of action, the comedy works as sound entertainment. Reynolds and Jackson are a dynamic pair. They, along with Selma Hayek, know how to create laughs. And, of course, Oldman plays the antagonist well.

Action scenes are plentiful and the comical bits are entertainment. Together, they create an attractive plot, even if some formulaic elements exist, that makes “Hitman’s Bodyguard” appealing. 

Grade: B- (For numerous audiences, it should be a hit.)