Steven Soderbergh has turned into one of the most schizophrenic directors alive, able to follow up gritty films like "Traffic" with glossy and frivolous Hollywood fare like the "Ocean's Eleven" series.

"Sex, Lies and Videotape" is one of his early efforts before anyone really knew who he was, and it's an excellent character study with erotic thriller overtones. It features second-tier stars giving great performances, and it's got that indie vibe that began to take hold late in the 1980s and would evolve into the full-fledged indie movement of the 90s.

Grade: A