Steven Soderbergh’s Best Films, According to Over 100 Critics

Following polls on PTA, Coen, Scorsese, Spielberg, Coppola, Scott, and Nolan, we turned our attention to the endlessly inventive and unpredictable Steven Soderbergh.

Over 100 critics participated in this poll, and unlike some of the filmmakers we’ve tackled in the past, I genuinely didn’t know how this one would shake out. What immediately stood out was the reevaluation of “Contagion” (#6), a film largely shrugged off upon its initial release but which has since taken on new significance for its prescient depiction of a global flu pandemic.

Soderbergh’s filmography is indeed a wild, genre-hopping ride—37 films spanning everything from intimate indie dramas to slick Hollywood blockbusters, including two releases this year (“Black Bag” and “Presence”) and another festival premiere (“The Christophers”). Yet when critics zeroed in, they landed on a particular hot streak between 1998 and 2001, when Soderbergh seemed untouchable. Four of the top 5 films in this poll are from that period—“Out of Sight,” “Traffic,” “The Limey,” and “Ocean’s Eleven”— with another one from that period (“Erin Brockovich”) rounding out the top eight.

Soderbergh’s career began when he was just 26 with “Sex, Lies and Videotape,” a breakout that transformed independent filmmaking and went on to win the Palme d’Or. Critics seem to be of the belief that it has aged fairly well, as it finished fourth in the poll.

Amazingly, of the 37 features Soderbergh’s released, only two didn’t receive a single vote—underscoring the consistent quality and impact of his work. The snubbed films? “Gray’s Anatomy,” and “Ocean’s Thirteen.”

An interesting thing to note: in 2013, Soderbergh said he was going to retire then reneged a few years later, making more movies, faster than ever, but critics seem to believe it was not for the better. None of the films he’s made since coming out retirement cracked the top 10.

1. “Out of Sight” — 50 votes

2. “Traffic” — 42

3. “The Limey” — 30

4. “Sex, Lies and Videotape” — 29

5. “Ocean’s Eleven” — 16

6. “Che” — 13

7. “Contagion” — 13

8. “Erin Brockovich” — 12

9. “King of the Hill” — 9

10. “Solaris” — 9
    

11. “Logan Lucky” — 7

12. “Magic Mike” — 7

13. “Black Bag” — 6

14. “Behind the Candelabra” — 5

15. “Ocean’s Twelve” — 3

16. “Kafka” — 3

17. “Let Them All Talk” — 3

18. “The Girlfriend Experience” — 2

19. “Bubble” — 2

20. “Presence” — 2

21. “The Informant!” — 2

22. “No Sudden Move” 2

SOME OF THE PARTICIPANTS:

Thelma Adams (AARP), Ethan Alter (Gold Derby), Jeffrey M. Anderson (SF Chronicle), David Ansen (Newsweek), Michael Atkinson (Village Voice), Nicolas Bell (IONCINEMA), Alex Billington (First Showing), John Bleasdale (Time Out), Matt Brunson (Film Frenzy), Jim Brunzell (Freelance), Christopher Bumbray (Joblo), Ben Cahlamer (Freelance), Zach Caruso (Freelance), Erik Childress (eFilmCritic), Daryl Chin (Criterion), Nick Clement (Variety), Laura Clifford (Reeling Reviews), Adam Cook (CinemaScope), Ben Croll (The Wrap), Clayton Davis (Variety), Tony Dayoub (CinemaViewFinder), Steve Dollar (The Wall Street Journal), Edward Douglas (Collider), David Edelstein (Slate), Max Evry (Critic/Author), Matt Fagerholm (Roger Ebert), Jim Farmer (OutOnFilm) Scott Feinberg (The Hollywood Reporter), Marshall Fine (NYFCC), Steve Finkelstein (FB Film Forum), Garth Franklin (Dark Horizons), Roger Friedman (Showbiz411), Karen Gordon (Freelance), David Greven (University of South Carolina), Matthew Hays (Concordia University), Patrick Heidmann (Freelance), Matt Hoffman (Film School Rejects), Robert Horton (Film Comment), Peter Howell (Toronto Star), Andrea Hudson (Freelance), Richard T. Jameson (Film Comment), Mark Johnson (Awards Daily), Larry Karazewski (Filmmaker), Dave Karger (TCM), Elisabeth Karlin (Film Essayist) Don Kaye (Den of Geek), Peter Keough (The Arts Fuse), Harry Knowles (Aint It Cool), Robert Koehler (Film Comment), Eric Kohn (Edglrd), Kevin Laforest (Extra Beurre), Joanna Langfield (The Movie Minute), William LaRochelle (Freelance), Eric Lavallee (IONCINEMA), Pascal LeDuff (Le Telegramme), Craig D. Lindsey (Nashville Scene), Wesley Lovell (Cinema Sight), Rod Lurie (Filmmaker), Wade Major (KPCC-NPR Los Angeles), Eric Marchen (Rogers TV), Philip Martin (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette), Steve Mears (Film Comment), Fred Melamed (Actor, A Serious Man), Steve Mears (Film Comment), Scott Mendelson (Puck), Scott Menzel (We Live Entertainment), Jared Mobarak (The Film Stage), Matt Neglia (Next Best Picture), John Nolte (Breitbart), Brian Owens (Calgary Film Festival), Michael Patterson (Michael’s Telluride Blog), Gerald Peary (The Arts Fuse), Miguel Pendas (BFI), Kyle Pinion (Screen Rex), David Poland (The Ankler), Claudia Puig (USA Today), Dan Sallitt (Filmmaker), Emanuel Rauco (La rivista del Cinematografo), Mara Reinstein (US Weekly), Timothy Rhys (Movie Maker), Rene Rodriguez (Miami Herald), Nathaniel Rogers (The Film Experience), Jordan Ruimy (World of Reel), Dan Sallitt (Filmmaker), Christopher Schobert (Buffalo Spree), Ian Schultz (PsychothronicCinema), Niles Schwartz (Slant Magazine), Diego Semerene (Slant Magazine), Gene Seymour (Newsday), Don Shanahan (Film Obsessive), Steven Shaviro (Sense of Cinema), Jason Shawan (Nashville Scene), Amie Simon (I Love Splatter), Viguen Shirvanian (Culturopoing), Yael Shuv (Time Out Tel Aviv), Amie Simon (I Love Splatter), Alex Simon (AFI), Kyle Smith (Wall Street Journal), Jeff Sneider (The InSneider), Danielle Solzman (Solzy at the Movies), Marlow Stern (Rolling Stone), Tony Joe Stemme (Freelance), Sara Stewart (The New York Post), Herb Stratford (Tucson Film Festival), Bob Strauss (LA Weekly), Drew Taylor (TheWrap), Tommaso Tocci (IONCINEMA), Benjamin Tovias (Yedioth Ahronoth), Vrian Truitt (USA Today), Mel Valentin (That Shelf), Daniel Waters (Screenwriter), Max Weiss (Baltimore Magazine), Jeffrey Wells (Hollywood Elsewhere), Armond White (National Review), Cam Williams, Chuck Wilson (LA Weekly), lAddison Wyle (The Wire Magazine)