Traffic
Steven Soderbergh is one of the most exciting and talented filmmakers with a whole host of terrific films under his belt during his career.
Side Effects is his latest film and it is also believed to be his last as he is set to leave his directing career behind.
To celebrate the career of Soderbergh we take a look at his top five movies.
1. Traffic
Traffic is widely regarded as Soderbergh's best movie as he received a Best Director Oscar for his work.
The movie explores the illegal drug trade from a number of different points of view including a politician and a trafficker.
Traffic is a thought provoking and incredibly intelligent movie that is gripping from start to finish.
Stephen Gaghan is on writing duties while Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro, Don Cheadle and Catherine Zeta-Jones make up a great ensemble cast.
It is a complex film as Soderbergh balances a string of different storylines and yet he keeps of the plates successfully spinning throughout.
The movie was nominated for a string of Oscars including Best Picture and won four - including Best Director.
Click here to buy Traffic on DVD
2. Out Of Sight
It was back in 1998 when George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez teamed up for Soderbergh's crime drama.
The movie was based on the novel by Elmore Leonard and it kicked off a string of Soderbergh/Clooney movies.
While Out of Sight struggled at the box office it was a critical hit and over the years it has gained a bit of a cult following.
This is a sharp, funny, intelligent and sexy movie that shows Soderbergh really at the top of his game as he mixes arty elements with more mainstream entertainment.
Clooney and Lopez really sizzle in the lead roles and it is this central relationships that really drives the movie forward.
There is intrigue and excitement at every turn making Out of Sight one of Soderbergh's finest moments.
Click here to buy Out Of Sight on DVD
3. Ocean's Eleven
Soderbergh reunited with Clooney in 2001 when the director helmed the remake of the 1960 comedy caper.
The Rat Pack has made up the cast in the original film and Soderbergh brought together an equally impressive cast as Clooney starred alongside Brad Pitt, Julia Robert, Andy Garcia and Matt Damon.
The movie followed a group of con artists who are looking to rob a Las Vegas casino.
Ocean's Eleven is a movie that is fun from start to finish and is the perfect example of mainstream entertainment done well.
This is one of the best comedy heist films of all time as Soderbergh has delivered a great story as well as a film that is sexy and funny.
Ocean's Eleven was a box office and critical smash and paved the way for two not so successful sequels.
Click here to buy Ocean's Eleven on DVD
4. The Limey
Soderbergh has always had a bit of a thing for the crime drama and in 1999 he helmed another in the form of The Limey.
The movie follows an extremely volatile and dangerous Englishman goes to Los Angeles to find the man he considers responsible for his daughter's death and saw Terrence Stamp and Peter Fonda join forces.
The Limey is a sleek and stylish movie and you can tell that Soderbergh is incredibly assured with this genre of film.
Stamp delivers a fantastic central performance as he showed that he was still an acting force to be reckoned with.
Much like Out Of Sight this film didn't do well at the box office and yet it won over the critics.
But over the years more and more people have found this movie and it is held in incredibly high esteem.
Click here to buy The Limey on DVD
5. Contagion
One of my personal favourite Soderbergh movies came in 2011 when he directed Contagion.
The movie follows the rapid progress of a lethal airborne virus that kills within days. As the fast-moving epidemic grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself.
The realism of this movie really will have you on the edge of your seat as something like this could just be around the corner.
The script, which was penned by Scott Z. Burns, really is very thought provoking and will leave you with plenty to think about once the credits have rolled.
Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law and Matt Damon make up the ensemble cast and Soderbergh keeps the many strands of the story running with ease.
This is a very intelligent movie that delivers a very frightening reality - Soderbergh creates so much more tension and unease than movies like this have done in the past
Click here to buy Contagion on DVD
Side Effects is released 8th March
Tagged in Stephen Soderbergh