Steven Soderbergh Cinematic Odyssey: Ranking His Top 10 Films

Steven Soderbergh, you can argue, is one of the most underrated and fearless directors of the late 20th century and early part of the 21st. Combining visual style with cinematic flair, Steven Soderbergh manages to fall in love with the characters in his movies, regardless of its a comedy or a drama. From his grounding breaking film “Traffic,” to the legendary “Ocean’s Eleven” series, discover the ten highly ranked Soderbergh film.

1. Traffic (2000): A Crime Drama at Its Finest

Release Date: December 27, 2000 | Rating: R

Even early in his directorial career, Steven Soderbergh displayed his fearlessness in taking chances in filmmaking. “Traffic” goes deep into the drug trade world on levels that few directors have ventured into. Even 25 years after debuting in theaters, Traffic is still considered the standard for modern-day crime-driven dramas and emotional storytelling. Traffic received four Academy Awards.

2. Ocean’s Eleven (2001): A Superb Remake of an Iconic Film

Release Date: December 7, 2001 | Rating: PG-13

Doing a remake is always challenging because it’s hard to please the original filmgoers while trying to innovate. However, with “Ocean’s Eleven,” Soderbergh kept the magic of the original 1960 film starring Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack while creating new twists.

Instead of focusing solely on robbing the largest casinos in the USA on New Year’s Eve like in the original film, the suspense is watching Danny Ocean not only stealing from one casino baron but stealing the love of his life back from her. Ocean’s Eleven is the first of two sequels that also star an ensemble cast of Matt Damon, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac, Andy Garcia, and Julia Roberts.

3. Out of Sight (1998): Blurring the Lines Between Love and Criminality

Release Date: June 26, 1998 | Rating: PG-13

Out of Sight marks one of Soderbergh’s first commercial successes in filmmaking. It also marked his first collaboration with George Clooney. Instead of focusing on a hard-boiled drama, Soderbergh focuses on the comedy and romance brewing between Jennifer Lopez’s character as a federal marshal and her romantic feelings for her fugitive, played by George Clooney.

4. The Limey (1999): Crime Playing on Its Own Time

Release Date: September 3, 1999 | Rating: R

“The Limey” once again showcases Soderbergh’s fearlessness to not follow traditional filmmaking norms like rare directors like Ridley Scott. As a crime thriller, The Limey immerses movie watchers by expertly going back into the past and present to outline the brewing drama. Terence Stamp, famous for his role as General Zod in “Superman 2,” gives an inspired performance as Soderbergh added new wrinkles for the time-tested genre.

5. Contagion (2011): The Beauty of Disaster

Release Date: September 9, 2011 | Rating: PG-13

“Contagion” marked Soderbergh diving into a new genre, the disaster film genre. Even with the disaster of a global pandemic outbreak, Soderbergh manages to show the untamable human spirit and the depths they will go to prevail. Even more than ten years since its release, Contagion continues to be a popular streaming option because of its parallels to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. It also serves as a beacon for conspiracy theorists and the controversial subject of predictive programming.

6. Solaris (2002): A Loving Remake in Outer Space

Release Date: November 22, 2002 | Rating: PG-13

Soderbergh reunites with George Clooney in the haunting remake, “Solaris.” The original 1972 version is a Russian film production, so the characters were adapted to an American audience. Even with a static stillness of outer space, Solaris dives into the emotional depths and drama of what it means to be human and its complexities.

7. Magic Mike (2012): For the Love of Cinematography

Release Date: June 22, 2012 | Rating: R

Unusual even for Steven Soderbergh standards, “Magic Mike” maintains a cult following for its bold subject of male strippers and what it means to be masculine. Many consider this character-driven masterpiece the launch of Channing Tatum’s career.

8. Che (2008): A Legendary Strongman Reborn

Release Date: May 22, 2008 | Rating: R

Steven Soderbergh took yet another chance with incredible success with “Che.” Che is a dramatic biopic of one of the most controversial freedom fighters and self-proclaimed communists, Che Guevara. Set in the times of the early days of the Cold War and the rise of Fidel Castro, Che showcases the ups and the dramatic fall of Che Guevara.

9. Erin Brokovich (2000): A Film About Never Giving Up

Release Date: March 17, 2000 | Rating: PG-13

With Soderbergh behind the director’s chair, Julia Roberts won an Academy Award for playing the real-life character, Erin Brockovich. From start to finish, the intensity about Erin’s struggles to bring awareness of climate issues continues to have new legions of movie watchers.

10. The Girlfriend Experience (2009): The Trauma of Escorts

Release Date: May 22, 2009 | Rating: R

Once again, Soderbergh shows he is fearless about taking chances. With “The Girlfriend Experience,” Soderbergh takes us into the complicated and traumatic world of Sasha Grey, an escort. The complications of Sasha trying to maintain her illicit lifestyle while trying to find real-life romance continue to make The Girlfriend Experience a must-watch film in 2025.

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Brian Ferdinando: Film Critic

Brian Ferdinando aka Chuckie joined us and has delivered outstanding work. The Gaming Vlogger is a sharp hand with a camera (In front and behind it) with slick editing skills too.

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