by John Bizub, Contributing Writer
Filmmakers love to set a plan for when they will finish their careers. Recently, it has been up for debate on whether Quentin Tarantino will retire with his tenth film or end with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Film fans don’t want their favorite filmmakers to continue making work only for it to be less loved than what they’ve made in the past. At times, however, it is rare for an auteur filmmaker to continue crunching out some of their best work after their supposed prime. Steven Spielberg, Abel Ferrara, Brian De Palma, and others continue to crunch out films that even rank with some of their best. Another filmmaker who continues to make work is none other than Steven Soderbergh. Every year or two, film fans would expect him to create a feature film or start a television series. Recently, he has been making films for HBO with 2020’s Let Them All Talk. Now in 2021, he is back with No Sudden Move.
The film has an all star cast of Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, Julia Fox, Ray Liotta, Brendan Fraser, David Harbour, Amy Siemetz, and many more. It tells the story of a 1950s house robbery gone wrong, and it’s up to two men to sort it out. Soderbergh is at his best when he gains good and witty performances from his leads. He has done it with Out of Sight and the Ocean’s Trilogy. And he has done it here.
While No Sudden Move doesn’t rank among his best, it is a solid entry in his filmography and hopefully will be his return to making crime films. The film boasts a sharp and clever script. Soderbergh is able to gain very solid performances from everyone, especially Brendan Fraser, which made me have a smile on my face. No Sudden Move feels like a classic ’50s style thriller where the thrills are high and the energy tries to match it. While the first act does match a very high level of energy, it falls a bit short in its second, and tries to pick up in its third. Some storylines feel more interesting than others and the movie tries to wrap itself up in less than two hours.
There are so many stars in this film and Soderbergh manages to give everyone time to shine. But some shine brighter than others. It is hard to match the first 45 minutes’ very sweaty and heightened liveliness, and the movie only attempts to reach it again in its last 45 minutes. The cinematography is very solid here — Soderbergh reaches some new camera angles which are not often seen in his filmography, and I did not find it jarring like many others do. Conversely, the soundtrack feels a bit lackluster and not memorable.
No Sudden Move is a great crime thriller from the man that knows the genre best. Soderbergh gains wonderful and charismatic performances from his leads while at times pushing some major names into the sidelines. The script is witty and clever and feels reminiscent of the time period. If only the script offered less unneeded subplots and was able to match the energy of the stellar first act. Hopefully Soderbergh makes more movies in this genre because he is one of the last remaining greats who can make them. Also, look out for the amazing cameo near the film’s end.
Grade: B