'No Sudden Move' is another thriller from Steven Soderbergh, inheriting the features of the noir genre with a stellar cast.

The 1950s, Detroit, USA. Three small-time crooks, mostly into petty theft, are hired for a job on an ordinary Monday. Two are to take an accountant's family hostage, while the third retrieves a document from his office safe. An unexpected phone call changes everything: one of the robbers is killed, and the job takes a new turn. A small crime spirals into a big game where no one can be trusted.

Soderbergh's Return to His Native Genre

— is one of the most important directors of our time, who managed to predict its events. In 2011, he directed 'Contagion' — a thriller about humanity battling a deadly disease starting with the flu, which bears similarities to the 2019 virus. He is also one of the biggest producers: among his projects is this season's 'Oscar' ceremony — the most unexpected in recent years, held across multiple venues.

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Soderbergh is also one of Hollywood's most prolific figures (films come out almost every year!), constantly experimenting not only with genres but also with the technical aspects of his films. He has shot on mobile phones ('Unsane', 'High Flying Bird') as well as expensive cameras. His new film — 'No Sudden Move' — also surprises with its visual style. Steven worked with natural lighting, hence the abundance of saturated colors and shadows in the film. The choice of a widescreen camera is also unusual for this genre: the frame predominantly features one or two people in close-up.

Based on initial indicators, the director's new film promised to be a sensation, if only because Steven returned to his native genre — a crime thriller with numerous plot threads that fire off by the end. The film promised to be an effective stylization of old cinema, inheriting the main features of noir: a dark atmosphere, the presence of a mystery, the blurring of the line between good and evil, and on top of that, a powerful cast. The lead roles feature Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, Brendan Fraser, Jon Hamm, and David Harbour. However, even with such aces up his sleeve, Soderbergh made another passable film that will be forgotten in a few months.

What Went Wrong?

The main reason for the failure is the release date on streaming platforms. As it happened, July became one of the busiest months of the season, bringing summer blockbusters back to theaters: 'Black Widow' — the long-awaited premiere from Kevin Feige, the sequel to the old-school 'Space Jam', and Shyamalan's new film 'Old' alongside a solo film from the 'G.I. Joe' universe. Connoisseurs of auteur films could attend the Cannes Film Festival, which was held after a year-long hiatus due to the pandemic. Therefore, an intimate thriller, even with a good cast, became an outsider.

Another misstep is the convoluted nature of the film's events, leaving viewers pondering after the finale. By setting up plot threads from the very beginning, the director unleashes a whole salvo in the finale, making it hard to grasp the resolution immediately. However, the salvo of guns turns out to be almost blank: there are so many details that it's simply impossible to keep track of everything. Considering that it all leads to a banal metaphor — 'if you want less than others, you'll get a little more' — was it necessary to twist the story so much?

Another significant problem is that the ensemble cast simply has nothing to play in this film. The characters are cardboard cutouts, fulfilling their plot functions in the big game. Not even the cameo by Matt Damon, appearing towards the film's finale, saves it. And while the main characters still vie for the audience's sympathy, the secondary ones are backdrops that no one will remember.

The film will inevitably be compared to the works of the Coen brothers, Lynch, and Hitchcock. From the latter, it borrows open suspense and a storyline that inherits features of the cult hit 'Psycho'. The film also resembles 'Motherless Brooklyn' — a project by Edward Norton, shot in the noir genre, with its action also set in 1950s America.

Is 'No Sudden Move' Worth Watching?

Initially vying for a spot in the awards season (at least, the film could have definitely made it to the Golden Globes), 'No Sudden Move' turns out to be an average film for a night in, and therefore doesn't achieve any heights. The director's new project is a failure that will soon be forgotten.

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