---
title: "High Flying Bird"
year: 2019
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/high-flying-bird"
fi1m_id: "high-flying-bird"
imdb_id: "tt8128188"
tmdb_id: 510498
wikidata_id: "Q50649485"
fi1m_score: 78
critics_score: 76
critics_reviews: 17
published: "2026-09-09"
updated: "2026-10-06T10:36:28.990053+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# High Flying Bird (2019)

Directed by Steven Soderbergh · 1h 30m · MPA R · Drama, Sport

## Identity

High Flying Bird

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/high-flying-bird
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** high-flying-bird
- **IMDb ID:** tt8128188
- **TMDB ID:** 510498
- **Wikidata ID:** Q50649485
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8128188/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/510498, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q50649485

**Fi1m score: 78** · Critics 76 from 17 reviews

*In a sentence:* Ninety minutes of smart people in tall buildings arguing about a game nobody is allowed to play

> An agent tries to turn an NBA lockout against the owners, in ninety minutes of quick, dense talk written by Tarell Alvin McCraney and shot by Steven Soderbergh on a phone. Sharp, well acted and a little cold, and it ends a scene early.

## Synopsis

The NBA is in a lockout, and nobody is being paid. Ray Burke (André Holland), a sports agent in New York, has a rookie client, Erick Scott (Melvin Gregg), who has been drafted but has yet to play a game or see a cheque. Ray’s own agency, run by David Starr (Zachary Quinto), is cutting costs. Between the owners, represented by David Seton (Kyle MacLachlan), and the players’ association, in the shape of Myra (Sonja Sohn), Ray sees a gap. With his former assistant Sam (Zazie Beetz) and an old coach, Spence (Bill Duke), who trains kids in a gym, he sets out to play, as he puts it, the game on top of the game. Written by Tarell Alvin McCraney and directed by Steven Soderbergh.

## Review

The first thing that happens in *High Flying Bird* is a card being declined. Ray Burke (André Holland), a sports agent, is buying lunch for his rookie client Erick Scott (Melvin Gregg), and the corporate card comes back dead, because the league is in a lockout and the agency has stopped paying for lunches. Ray talks his way through it without raising his voice, which is the film in miniature. Steven Soderbergh directs, shoots and edits; Tarell Alvin McCraney writes; and for 90 minutes people in suits talk, quickly, about money and who gets to keep it. It is good. There is one game of basketball in it, and it is played in a gym.

McCraney’s script is the reason to watch. Ray moves between the owners, represented by David Seton (Kyle MacLachlan); the players’ association, in the shape of Myra (Sonja Sohn); his boss, David Starr (Zachary Quinto), who wants the lockout over; and Sam (Zazie Beetz), his former assistant, who has left for a better job and still takes his calls. Every conversation is a negotiation with a second one underneath it. Holland delivers the lines at the pace of a man who has thought three moves ahead and is bored waiting for you to catch up. The back half has the shape of a heist, except that the thing being stolen is leverage.

Soderbergh shot it on an iPhone, and it shows in every frame. The lens is wide, so the corners of rooms bend and a man at the far end of a table looks a long way off. Andy Eklund’s production design gives him glass, steel and grey carpet, offices where the city is always behind somebody’s head, and the phone flattens it all into a cold, even sheen. That suits a film about people always on the way to a meeting. Outdoors in daylight, though, the image goes thin and we wished for a proper camera. Marci Rodgers dresses Ray in narrow suits that fit better than anyone else’s, a joke about how much money he does not have. David Wilder Savage’s score is a small electronic pulse under the walking and stays out of the arguments.

The scenes that got to us are the ones away from the offices. Bill Duke plays Spence, an old coach who runs a gym for kids and has a rule that anyone who compares the league to slavery must say a set phrase of penance out loud. It is a laugh the first time and not the second. Duke sits still and says little, and a late conversation between him and Ray, two black men of different generations working out what the game has cost them, moved us more than anything said in a boardroom. Soderbergh also cuts in interviews with real young players talking plainly about being drafted, and those few minutes weigh more than some of the plotting around them.

The talk is the pleasure and also the problem. McCraney writes in jargon and does not slow down for us. We kept up, mostly, but there were stretches where we followed the mood of a scene and not what was agreed in it. A few speeches, Sohn’s in particular, are addressed to a room rather than a person and sound it. And the ending is softer than the build-up. Ray’s scheme is the engine of the film, and we will not describe where it lands, except that the last ten minutes are quieter than an hour of plotting had led us to expect. We were a little let down, and we suspect that is partly the point. It does not make those minutes land any harder.

Soderbergh has made lighter films about clever people robbing institutions; this is the one where the robbery is an idea and nobody has a good time. It is nearer his cheap, fast, talky pictures than to *Ocean’s Eleven*, and it shares their virtue, that 90 minutes is the right length, and their flaw, that they can feel like a well-run meeting.

Turn the subtitles on and put your phone face down. The film was shot on one, and that is enough phones for one evening.

*Fi1m score 78, published 9 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like High Flying Bird, and they like it for the same reasons. The praise clusters on Tarell Alvin McCraney’s script, with its fast, dense, jargon-heavy dialogue, and on André Holland’s performance as the sports agent at the centre of it, which The Ringer calls star-making. Soderbergh’s decision to shoot on an iPhone is mostly treated as a strength, giving the film immediacy and intimacy, though Radio Times suspects some viewers will find the images flat. The ideas draw warm notices: race, labour and who owns the game are taken seriously.

The reservations are about shape. Vulture finds the storytelling unshapely and wants more actual basketball; Collider thinks the small scale leaves the themes cramped. The spread is narrow, with most scores between 75 and 85. The one clear dissent comes from Screen Daily, which finds it an unconvincing, stagy exercise with little to say about the business it examines.

## Straight answers

**Is High Flying Bird worth watching?**

*High Flying Bird* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys fast, dense talk about money and power, and we scored it 78. Tarell Alvin McCraney's script and André Holland's quick, unshowy lead performance are the reasons to see it. It is a little cold, the jargon does not slow down for you, and the ending is quieter than the build-up promises.

**How long is High Flying Bird, and what is it rated?**

*High Flying Bird* runs 1h 30m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and sport film.

**Where can I watch High Flying Bird in the US?**

*High Flying Bird* is streaming on Netflix in the US. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is High Flying Bird, and is it suitable for children?**

*High Flying Bird* contains no violence to speak of and nothing frightening; its UK 15 certificate reflects adult language and adult subject matter rather than anything on screen. It is 90 minutes of agents, owners and union officials arguing in offices, with one game of basketball in a gym. Children would not be harmed by it, but they would be bored.

**How does High Flying Bird compare to Hoop Dreams?**

*High Flying Bird* is a 90-minute fiction about the business of basketball, while [*Hoop Dreams*](https://film.one/film/hoop-dreams) is a 174-minute documentary about where the players come from and what it costs them to arrive. The documentary is the stronger film, patient where the drama is quick and cold. Watch the Soderbergh for the talk, the James for the people the talk is about.

**What should I watch after High Flying Bird?**

After *High Flying Bird*, try [*Sweet Smell of Success*](https://film.one/film/sweet-smell-of-success) (1957, Fi1m 88): New York, night, men in suits talking faster than they can think; the ancestor. Then [*Hoop Dreams*](https://film.one/film/hoop-dreams) (1994, Fi1m 92): Three hours on where the rookies come from, and what it costs them to arrive; and [*Margin Call*](https://film.one/film/margin-call) (2011, Fi1m 82): A single night in glass offices, all talk, about money that is not really there.

### Reviews we read (20)

- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (85/100, inferred): Shot on an iPhone and working off a killer script by Tarell Alvin McCraney, this is vintage Soderbergh carried by André Holland. It soars as a brilliant Netflix basketball drama. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/high-flying-bird-review-slamdance-2019-1202036955/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (85/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a welcome and unexpected dazzling examination of issues in pro basketball, with immediacy, drama, and smart dialogue. The savvy McCraney script, with its iconoclastic ideas and fast-paced dialogue, is singled out for praise alongside Holland's energetic performance. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-high-flying-bird-review-20190207-story.html)
- **Little White Lies**, Adam Woodward (4/4/4): The critic praises the film's understated brilliance and its examination of race, sport, and money in America, highlighting Soderbergh's radical methods and the script's avoidance of sentimentality. It singles out the insightful portrayal of the sports agent's moral integrity and the innovative iPhone shooting style. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/high-flying-bird)
- **Slant Magazine**, Chuck Bowen (80/100, inferred): Soderbergh's film considers modern media as a vehicle for revising white patriarchal capitalism while acknowledging the allure of the game rather than changing its rules. It dramatizes a scheme to upend the distribution of sporting events and give more power to players amid endemic racism. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/high-flying-bird-review-steven-soderbergh/)
- **The Guardian** (80/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a sharp and layered drama about basketball and power dynamics in the NBA, another slam dunk for Soderbergh and Netflix. It singles out the bold take on race and sport, passed between the director and screenwriter Tarell Alvin McCraney, for praise. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/feb/07/high-flying-bird-review-netflix-steven-soderbergh)
- **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (80/100, inferred): The review calls the film a boldly creative D.I.Y. look at the business and politics of sports, particularly race and economic inequalities. It highlights Soderbergh's low-budget freedoms and the script's focus on changing the system through a sports agent's scheme. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/high-flying-bird-reviewed-steven-soderberghs-boldly-creative-look-at-the-politics-of-sports)
- **The AV Club**, A.A. Dowd (B): Soderbergh imagines a future without owners in this low-fi Netflix drama about an agent trying to return power to players during an NBA lockout. It pulls off a satisfying heist-like structure while acknowledging that the underlying problem of power distribution remains unsolved. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/we-ll-never-see-steven-soderbergh-s-moneyball-but-his-1832442409)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (75/100, inferred): The film is a sharp-minded look at high-stakes action in the professional basketball world during a lockout. It provides a tart behind-the-scenes look at the financial side of sports and the potential for labor unrest. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/high-flying-bird-review-1179912/)
- **Variety** (75/100, inferred): The review describes the film as a timely, mesmerizingly talky drama about race and power in sports, with a subversive view of money and stratification. The sharp, rapid-fire dialogue and immediacy from its iPhone production are highlighted, though it notes less success with characters. [Read](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/high-flying-bird-review-slamdance-1203120257/)
- **Vulture** (65/100, inferred): The film is compelling despite narrative flaws and unshapely storytelling, with a mournful tone marinated in righteous resentment about exploitation in the NBA. It excels in juicy dialogue scenes and performances but has too little basketball and leaves some plot elements unclear. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2019/02/steven-soderbergh-high-flying-bird-movie-review.html)
- **Radio Times**, Andrew Collins (★★★): The review notes that the film offers a crash course in NBA lockouts and weaves a talky story with strong performances, while commenting on the iPhone cinematography that some may find flat, and the metatextual Netflix references. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/high-flying-bird-netflix-movie-review-soderberghs-got-game/)
- **Screen Daily** (40/100, inferred): The critic finds it an oddly unconvincing exercise despite Soderbergh's cerebral cool, noting it's a stagy examination that lacks insightful commentary on the business of basketball, though pertinent issues on race and class are present. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/high-flying-bird-slamdance-review/5135941.article)
- **Film Comment**, Mark Asch: Soderbergh uses the NBA lockout to explore basketball players as gig-economy laborers and content creators in a streaming-dominated industry, and as Black workers navigating white-controlled power structures. The film employs an iPhone-shot aesthetic and heist-like structure to focus on the behind-the-scenes business of the sport. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/the-big-screen-high-flying-bird/)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (Critic's Pick): The critic praises the film as an exhilarating and argumentative caper that uses basketball to explore labor, capital, and racial injustice in a feisty, twisty fable. Soderbergh's iPhone-shot craft and McCraney's densely layered script are singled out for their ingenuity and intellectual demand. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/07/movies/high-flying-bird-review.html)
- **The Times**, Ed Potton (★★★☆☆): The critic describes the wordy, witty basketball drama as a different beast from Soderbergh's previous iPhone film, with a classy cast and anger at the sport becoming a business. It singles out the moral heartbeat of the piece for praise while noting some stagey speech and baffling politics. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/article/high-flying-bird-review-xl2hxl2pz)
- **The Ringer**, Adam Nayman (90/100, inferred): The critic highlights the film's layered self-reflexivity about the basketball and movie businesses, lauding McCraney's sharp, musical dialogue and Soderbergh's restrained direction that emphasizes distance and focus. It singles out André Holland's star-making performance and the thematic depth on labor, race, and disrupting systems as particularly strong. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2019/02/08/movies/high-flying-bird-steven-soderbergh-review)
- **Polygon**, Karen Han (85/100, inferred): The critic commends the film's sharp focus on exploitation and control in the sports industry, calling out the effective use of real player interviews and Holland's rhythmic delivery of McCraney's dialogue. They note Soderbergh's iPhone approach creates intimacy while underscoring themes of autonomy, concluding it is one of Netflix's best with only minor quibbles about the distributor portrayal. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/2019/2/8/18215950/high-flying-bird-netflix-review-steven-soderbergh)
- **The Playlist**, Kimber Myers (85/100, inferred): Soderbergh delivers a sharp, witty NBA drama centered on a sports agent navigating a league lockout and broader issues of power and race in sports. The critic highlights the film's engaging script, strong performances, and joyful execution as a standout effort. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/high-flying-bird-soderbergh-review-20190127/)
- **The Skinny**, Ross McIndoe (4/5): Soderbergh delivers an unglamorous, street-level sports drama about an agent navigating an NBA lockout, using iPhone cinematography to highlight players' rage against corporate owners and the business side of the game. The film is demanding and jargon-heavy, with occasional stilted moments, but offers a distinctive, seize-the-means perspective unlike typical sports movies. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/high-flying-bird)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (B): The critic praises the film's dense, captivating ideas about the business of sport, race, and power imbalances in the NBA during a lockout, comparing it favorably to a potential Soderbergh-directed Moneyball. They note it remains fascinating despite feeling constrained by its iPhone shooting style and limited scope, wishing it had more room to explore its themes. [Read](https://collider.com/high-flying-bird-review-netflix/)

## Details

- **Director:** Steven Soderbergh
- **Director:** Steven Soderbergh
- **Writer:** Tarell Alvin McCraney
- **Cinematography:** Steven Soderbergh
- **Editor:** Steven Soderbergh
- **Music:** David Wilder Savage
- **Production design:** Andy Eklund
- **Costume design:** Marci Rodgers
- **Producer:** Joseph Malloch
- **Cast:** André Holland as Ray Burke; Zazie Beetz as Sam; Melvin Gregg as Erick Scott; Sonja Sohn as Myra; Zachary Quinto as David Starr; Glenn Fleshler as Intimidating Seton Colleague; Jeryl Prescott as Emera Umber; Justin Hurtt-Dunkley as Jamero Umber
- **Runtime:** 1h 30m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 8 February 2019
- **Genres:** Drama, Sport
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iL1K_l8Jyo

## Where to watch in the US

- Netflix: streaming

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Sweet Smell of Success* (1957), Fi1m 88: New York, night, men in suits talking faster than they can think; the ancestor. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/sweet-smell-of-success.md)
- *Hoop Dreams* (1994), Fi1m 92: Three hours on where the rookies come from, and what it costs them to arrive. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/hoop-dreams.md)
- *He Got Game* (1998): Spike Lee on the draft as a market, with a father and son as the goods.
- *The Damned United* (2009): One clever, arrogant man against a boardroom, and the boardroom wins; football, not basketball.
- *Margin Call* (2011), Fi1m 82: A single night in glass offices, all talk, about money that is not really there. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/margin-call.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/high-flying-bird