FILM REVIEWS

Soderbergh put his own money into the screwball, stylistic oddity, Schizopolis (1997), a personal satire, which he wrote, directed, lensed and starred in. With its disdain for narrative coherence, this satirical critique of modern life seemed to have come straight out of the director's head, a sharp departure from the meticulous craftsmanship of King of the Hill and The Underneath, which were weighted down by the intense concentration of form.

Schizopolis turned out to be a wake-up call. Just when Hollywood was ready to write off Soderbergh as a major film artist, he rebounded with his best film to date, Out of Sight (Universal, 1998), demonstrating again what a good actors' director he is when working with the right material–and also showing he is one of the few filmmakers who can smoothly navigate between Hollywood and indie projects. Soderbergh was concerned about finding a film with a big budget that would allow him to exploit his creative energy.