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No Sudden Move          review by Bobby Blakey

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Steven Soderbergh is one of those unique filmmakers that has dabbled in multiple genres and filmmaking styles including shooting whole films on an iPhone. With films like Magic Mike, Out of Sight, The Ocean’s Eleven franchise and the all too close to home Contagion he continues to deliver some great storytelling. His latest flick No Sudden Move offers up a great cast including Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, David Harbour, Ray Liotta, Jon Hamm, Brendan Fraser, Kieran Culkin and Amy Seimetz and Julia Fox, but does it capture his usual essence in filmmaking or will it be a failed heist?
 

No Sudden Move follows a group of small-time criminals who are hired to steal emerging car technology in 1955 Detroit. When their plan goes horribly wrong, their search for who hired them - and for what ultimate purpose - weaves them through all echelons of the race-torn, rapidly changing city.
 

After watching this film I had to sit with if for a bit to really soak in my feelings of it all. It’s not a complicated movie or anything, but something that is subdued enough to really let you ingest it all. The overall tone reminded me of something that Tarantino might do allowing the strong cast and the dialogue to carry it within witty banter and interesting camera work. Make no mistake this is Soderbergh all the way and isn’t anything trying to be strange, but just unique enough to keep you enthralled with the caper at the forefront.
 

The entire cast are great here with Cheadle and Del Toro carrying the heaviest load. Kieran Culkin offers up a smaller role, but a strong performance really stealing his scenes. Harbour is toned down here than we normal see in some of his characters. The rest of the cast bring their A game complete with a surprise appearance that was fun to have get in on the fun. It is a bit slow paced by design and relies on the dialogue to drive the story along with the mystery document that serves as the catalyst of it all. I could see how this pacing could divert some people that aren’t getting fully invested, but stick it out.
 

As with any heist type flicks there are plenty of fun twists and turns with some you may see coming, but all still work well. This is one of those movies that is simplistic on its surface but has a lot of layers to it coupled with great style and visuals that will hopefully find the legs it deserves.
 

Decide for  yourself and check out No Sudden Move streaming now on HBO MAX.

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