(Photo by Focus Features / Courtesy Everett Collection. BLACK BAG.)
Steven Soderbergh rarely puts his name in front of movies. You’ll almost never see “A Steven Soderbergh Film” right before the title card. He uses pseudonyms based on his parents whenever he writes his own screenplay or edits his movies, which he does often. And yet he’s known as one of the best and most consistent in the business for caper and heist movies, for movies that question big business and authority, for movies featuring strong women and vulnerable men, and movies that use unusual directing techniques but are still unquestionably part of the Hollywood system. That’s been Soderbergh his whole career: one foot in Hollywood, one foot in indie filmmaking, going back to his earliest Super8 films to his more recent fare filmed entirely with an iPhone.
Soderbergh’s latest film, spy thriller Black Bag, is Certified Fresh as critics deliver his highest Tomatometer score since landmark debut, 1989’s sex, lies, and videotape. Black Bag is a two-handed character piece with Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender; Angelica Jade Bastién of Vulture says, “This is a master of complementary craft; of two great listeners and communicators bringing rapture to every gesture.”
Soderbergh has been called a great director of women, with the quadruple punch of sex, lies and videotape (Andie McDowell), Out of Sight (Jennifer Lopez), Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts), and even Haywire, with Gina Carano making that rare crossover from the MMA set to the action star world, a move only a few fighters have succeeded in pulling off.
And Soderbergh’s one of the best at filming heists and crime capers (the Ocean’s trilogy, but also the Oscar-winning Traffic, Logan Lucky, No Sudden Move, and The Limey), and using sex, humor and heart in interesting ways (the first and third Magic Mikes). He’s also done a select few imaginative projects for television, including hard-hitting period medical drama The Knick, for which he directed all 20 episodes.
In fact, nearly his entire career’s output is Certified Fresh or Fresh. Going down the list, there’s a startling TV biopic of Liberace and his doomed relationship with Scott Thorson, Behind the Candelabra, featuring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon playing way against type but doing it very well. Kimi is compared favorably with Rear Window, starring Zoë Kravitz as an agoraphobic tech woman overcoming her fears to solve a crime.
Soderbergh has delved into Netflix originals and sports dramas with the little-seen but highly-rated High Flying Bird from 2019 (one of two filmed on an iPhone). Even more recently, he took an unusual turn into suspenseful horror with the scary house thriller Presence, filmed from the perspective of the supernatural being at the center of the movie. Let Them All Talk is a documentary-like Max original drama that’s almost all dialogue between Meryl Streep and her friends.
Contagion is another Certified Fresh pure Hollywood pandemic thriller similar to Outbreak but much more terrifying in the wake of the actual pandemic that happened nine years after this one released. Unsane (the other one filmed on an iPhone) is Soderbergh’s turn into psychological horror deliberately filmed low-tech and as unsettling as possible. The Informant! shows his knack for subversive, highly satirical comedy, and is one of several great pairings between the director and Matt Damon throughout both of their careers.
One need not look to just Certified Fresh for Soderbergh gems. Even films just this side of Fresh like his remake of the Russian science fiction epic (and novel) Solaris are cerebral and involving. Really, you can’t go wrong with 90% of his films across just about every genre, mood, and setting you could think of. An actor’s director, yes, but Soderbergh is also a viewer’s director. His movies are eminently watchable. –Steve Horton
#1
Critics Consensus: Sleek in design and spiked with dry wit, Black Bag is an exemplary espionage caper that lets movie stars like Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender do what they do best — light up the screen.
#2
Critics Consensus: In his feature directorial debut, Steven Soderbergh demonstrates a mastery of his craft well beyond his years, pulling together an outstanding cast and an intelligent script for a nuanced, mature film about neurosis and human sexuality.
#3
Critics Consensus: Affectionate without sacrificing honesty, Behind the Candelabra couples award-worthy performances from Michael Douglas and Matt Damon with some typically sharp direction from Steven Soderbergh.
#4
Critics Consensus: Steven Soderbergh’s intelligently crafted adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel is witty, sexy, thoroughly entertaining, and a star-making turn for George Clooney.
#5
Critics Consensus: Soderbergh successfully pulls off the highly ambitious Traffic, a movie with three different stories and a very large cast. The issues of ethics are gray rather than black-and-white, with no clear-cut good guys. Terrific acting all around.
#6
Critics Consensus: High-octane fun that’s smartly assembled without putting on airs, Logan Lucky marks a welcome end to Steven Soderbergh’s retirement — and proves he hasn’t lost his ability to entertain.
#7
Critics Consensus: While it may not be on par with his best crime capers, No Sudden Move finds Soderbergh on entertainingly familiar ground — and making the most of an excellent cast.
#8
Critics Consensus: A housebound thriller with a 21st century spin, KIMI finds director Steven Soderbergh in crowd-pleasing form — thanks in no small part to an outstanding performance from Zoë Kravitz.
#9
Critics Consensus: Crafted with eccentric moodiness and style by Steven Soderbergh, The Limey is also a gritty neo-noir showcase for the talent of leading man Terence Stamp.
#10
Critics Consensus: High Flying Bird takes a thoughtful and engrossing look at professional sports that sees Steven Soderbergh continuing to test the limits of new filmmaking technology.
#11
Critics Consensus: A slow-burning spectral thriller, Presence reaffirms that Soderbergh plays with form as deftly as he flits between genres.
#12
Critics Consensus: When Steven Soderbergh rounds up a cast this talented, it’s definitely wise to Let Them All Talk — and this light yet rewarding dramedy more than lives up to expectations.
#13
Critics Consensus: Tense, tightly plotted, and bolstered by a stellar cast, Contagion is an exceptionally smart — and scary — disaster movie.
#14
Critics Consensus: Taking full advantage of Julia Roberts’s considerable talent and appeal, Erin Brockovich overcomes a few character and plot issues to deliver a smart, thoughtful, and funny legal drama.
#15
Critics Consensus: A smart, clever thriller with plenty of disquieting twists, Side Effects is yet another assured effort from director Steven Soderbergh.
#16
Critics Consensus: As fast-paced, witty, and entertaining as it is star-studded and coolly stylish, Ocean’s Eleven offers a well-seasoned serving of popcorn entertainment.
#17
Critics Consensus: Unsane unleashes Steven Soderbergh’s inner B-movie maestro, wading into timeless psychological thriller territory and giving it a high-tech filmmaking spin.
#18
Critics Consensus: A charismatic turn by star Matt Damon and a consistently ironic tone boost this quietly funny satire about a corporate whistle-blower.
#19
Critics Consensus: MMA star and first-time actress Gina Carano displays ample action-movie chops in Haywire, a fast-paced thriller with a top-notch cast and outstanding direction from Steven Soderbergh.
#20
Critics Consensus: The second part of Soderbergh’s biopic is a dark, hypnotic and sometimes frustrating portrait of a warrior in decline, with a terrific central performance from Del Toro.
#21
Critics Consensus: Magic Mike‘s sensitive direction, smart screenplay, and strong performances allow audiences to have their beefcake and eat it too.
#22
#23
Critics Consensus: A subtle, affecting, character-driven coming-of-age story, King of the Hill is one of Steven Soderbergh’s best and most criminally overlooked films.
#24
Critics Consensus: Even if And Everything Is Going Fine isn’t one of Soderbergh’s more commercial efforts, this collection of judiciously edited performance footage of the late monologist Spalding Gray gave the director a chance to show a rarely-seen side of his artistry.
#25
#26
#27
Critics Consensus: This rigorously stripped down, seemingly mundane little film still manages to be engrossing and creepy.
#28
Critics Consensus: Ocean’s Thirteen reverts to the formula of the first installment, and the result is another slick and entertaining heist film.
#29
Critics Consensus: Though lengthy and at times plodding, Soderbergh’s vision and Benicio Del Toro’s understated performance ensure that Che always fascinates.
#30
Critics Consensus: Steven Soderbergh’s latest lo-fi production is strikingly crafted but emotionally vague.
#31
Critics Consensus: Slow-moving, cerebral, and ambiguous, Solaris is not a movie for everyone, but it offers intriguing issues to ponder.
#32
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#33
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#34
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#35
Critics Consensus: While some have found the latest star-studded heist flick to be a fun, glossy star vehicle, others declare it’s lazy, self-satisfied and illogical.
#36
Critics Consensus: Kafka does not rise to the artistic success of its subject, struggling to approximate the nightmarish absurdity that defined the author’s work despite thoughtful direction by Steven Soderbergh and a gorgeous black and white color palette.
#37
#38
Critics Consensus: Magic Mike’s Last Dance is loose and limber enough to entertain, although it’s hard to escape the feeling that this franchise has lost a step or two along the way.
#39
Critics Consensus: The Laundromat misuses its incredible cast by taking a disappointingly blunt and unfocused approach to dramatizing the real-life events that inspired it.
#40
Critics Consensus: An confusing movie made worse by the poor camera work.
#41
Critics Consensus: Though Steven Soderbergh succeeds in emulating the glossy look of 1940s noirs, The Good German ultimately ends up as a self-conscious exercise in style that forgets to develop compelling characters.
#42
Critics Consensus: Though Wong’s short lives up to the promise of the title, Antonioni’s is a serious disappointment.