Steven Soderbergh’s Most Underrated Movies

Steven Soderbergh is perhaps the busiest director in Hollywood, and while some filmmakers have taken time to adjust to the streaming era, Steven Soderbergh has innovated with release windows and distribution throughout his career. Anyone who checked out his annual list of everything he watched in 2021 can get an idea on just how much media the man consumes; this was also the year he oversaw the controversial Academy Award ceremony and directed the terrific HBO Max crime thriller No Sudden Move.

Soderbergh recently dropped the trailer for his latest film KIMI, a tech thriller starring Zoe Kravitz that is set to hit HBO Max next month. Soderbergh is a highly honored filmmaker, and many of his films such as Out of Sight, Ocean’s Eleven, Traffic, Erin Brokovitch, and The Limey are considered modern classics. However, he’s just so prolific that some of Soderbergh’s most interesting projects aren’t brought up as much as they deserve. Here are seven underrated Soderbergh films to check out ahead of KIMI.

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Solaris (2002)

solaris-george-clooney — Image via 20th Century Fox

Soderbergh is one of the few filmmakers with the clout and ambition to tackle a remake of Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris, one of the most influential science fiction films in history. It seems sacrilegious to approach such beloved material as comparisons are impossible to avoid, but Soderbergh’s 2002 space epic is a meticulous moral odyssey that’s compelling in its own right. He also managed to annoy casual moviegoers expecting a traditional space adventure; it’s one of the rare films to earn a “F” score on CinemaScore.

George Clooney stars as Dr. Chris Kelvin, a psychologist recruited to join a mysterious space travel into unknown territory. Over the course of the voyage, Kelvin is haunted by confusing images from his past and questions the nature of the mission. It’s fascinating to see Soderbergh gives Clooney the chance to play a thoughtful, astute character considering he relied so heavily on Clooney’s charismatic side in Ocean’s Eleven and Out of Sight.

The Good German (2006)

Soderbergh is obviously a massive film buff who has spoken frequently about his diverse tastes, and many of his films are indebted to the classic era of Old Hollywood. The Good German is inspired by 1940s film noirs, particularly Casablanca, and utilized classic techniques including soundstages and was shot on 35mm black-and-white. It follows an investigation by American journalist Captain Jake Geismer (George Clooney) into his former lover, the potential Nazi Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchet).

What’s fascinating is that within this traditional framework, Soderbergh includes the sordid violence and sexuality that is only implied in classical films due to Production Codes. While it should feel like a clash of tones, the more cynical approach on Europe during the Potsdam Conference is a fascinating reflection on the more optimistic spirit of post-war Hollywood.

Ocean’s Thirteen (2007)

Ocean’s Eleven is simply one of the most rewatchable films ever made, and while Ocean’s Twelve was initially met with a cool reception, the film has garnered more respect in recent years for its subversive additude on the nature of sequels. Compared to the more ambitious second installment, the trilogy’s caper goes for a much broader, crowd pleasing tone. Ocean’s Thirteen is simply a blast, and it’s the type of sequel that can be enjoyed by Ocean’s devotees and new fans alike.

The best idea Soderbergh had was bringing back the first film’s antagonist Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) as an unexpected new member of the Ocean’s gang, as the comedic banter between Benedict and his old rivals is simply hilarious. The plot revolves around a ridiculous scheme by the eccentric casino mogul Willy Bank in a wonderfully scene chewing performance by Al Pacino.

Haywire (2011)

gina-carano-michael-fassbender-haywire-image-2 — Image via Relativity

Soderbergh is renowned for his dedication to process; he’s able to find a palatable way to understand complex infrastructure networks through micro details. Haywire explores the world of modern black ops operations, following the assassin Mallory Kane (Gina Carano) when she’s betrayed by her employers. While it was Carano’s debut feature, the stacked supporting cast includes A-listers like Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, and Bill Paxton.

The story becomes so densely populated with characters and double crosses that the viewer leaves viewers just as confused as Mallory is. The world of modern warfare is ugly and done in the shadows, and Soderbergh is reflective on how pointless violence really is. He doesn’t skimp on stellar set pieces; Carano’s bedroom brawl with Michael Fassbender is among the best of the decade.

Side Effects (2013)

Soderbergh is frequently a critic of big business, and has tackled such corrupted issues as lysine price fixing (The Informant!), the drug war (Traffic), legal malpractice (Erin Brokovitch), health care (Unsane), and the Panama Papers (The Laundromat). With Side Effects, Soderbergh sets his sights on big pharma with the story of the woman Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) who has unexpected side effects after using an experimental clinical drug.

Taylor seeks out treatment as she deals with the stress of her husband Martin (Channing Tatum) returning from surgery, and she employs the assistance of the thoughtful Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) and enigmatic Dr. Victoria Seibert (Catherine Zeta-Jones). It’s a critical issue, but Soderbergh intills his message within a compelling Hitchcockian noir, as Taylor and Seibert become romantically involved.

Logan Lucky (2017)

Logan Lucky was Soderbergh embracing a crowd pleasing light heartedness that’s dubbed “Ocean’s Seven-Eleven.” However, the Southern heist thriller is far from a clone of his previous work. Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) is let go from his construction job and struggles to provide for his veteran brother Clyde (Adam Driver) and hairdresser sister Mellie (Riley Keough). Jimmy realizes his knowledge of the Texas Motor Speedway could be used to perform a robbery during a major NASCAR race, and he enlists the help of the felon Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) to help his family.

The heroes of Logan Lucky aren’t in it out of greed; they’re simply a family in need of help. Soderbergh is very respectful of southern blue collar working environments, and while there’s comedy that comes from the eccentric culture, Logan Lucky doesn’t rely on obvious stereotypes. A spirited group rendition of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is a particularly heartfelt tribute.

High Flying Bird (2019)

Ever since Bubble, Soderbergh has been fascinated by the nature of modern distribution techniques, and he’s currently embraced the full capabilities of the streaming market thanks to his long term deal with HBO Max. Soderbergh’s 2019 Netflix film High Flying Bird is a meta-commentary on the subject; the film itself centers around how instant streaming access opens the window of opportunity to underrepresented voices and shifts power from legacy media to anyone with an iPhone.

Andre Holland stars as New York sports agent Ray Burke, who finds a new opportunity for his clients in the midst of an NBA player lockout. Facing pressure from his boss David Starr (Zachary Quinto) to keep their agency alive, Burke discovers that viral videos of prominent players have been widely circulated in the absence of the major games. Burke gets the idea to begin streaming these matches instantly and uploading them to social media, but as the viral sensation becomes a phenomenon, Burke is forced to question who the power belongs to. Does he stay loyal to the legacy big business firm, the players, the audience, or claim credit for the innovation himself?