...slick, light, breezy affairs that are easy to take if they're not taken too seriously.
On the commentary track for "Ocean's Thirteen," director Steven Soderbergh says this is it, he's finished. He had always intended to make the "Ocean's" movies a trilogy, and he did. Which is no doubt why Warner Bros. decided to issue the three movies in a box set (SD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray). If you like them, and they're certainly frothy and jaunty enough to like, it makes a good deal, especially in high def. Let's look at them one at a time.
"Ocean's Eleven":
Soderbergh patterned his 2001 film, "Ocean's Eleven," after the original 1960 film "Ocean's 11," which had been something of a lark for the old Rat Pack, a showcase for Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, and their pals to have fun, swap jokes, and act cool. By contrast, the new film emphasizes plot and character over sheer star power. In fact, one of the new stars, Don Cheadle, doesn't even take credit for his performance. The result may not be a great movie, but it feels like a slightly more satisfying cinematic experience than the old version did.
Like its forebear, this new issue from Soderbergh ("Erin Brockovich," "Traffic") and producer Jerry Weintraub ("Diner," "The Karate Kid," "The Avengers") is a lighthearted heist film. Also like the earlier model, the new one features an all-star cast, and its plot is divided into three parts and an epilogue. There's nothing very new or surprising about any of it, but like an old friend it's all quite welcome and comforting.
Part one is the gathering of the team, the "eleven" of the title. These capers always need a good corps of experts, and much of the movie's time always needs to be spent getting them together. The idea man and center of the action is Danny Ocean, the old Sinatra character, this time played to winning effect by George Clooney. The actor doesn't need to do much but ooze charm, and he does so with all the glamour of an old-time movie idol. His plan is to rob three of the most profitable casinos in Las Vegas: the Bellagio, the Mirage, and the MGM Grand. On a big night, like the night of a heavyweight championship fight, the common vault contains upwards of $150,000,000. Ocean's intent is to knock it over on the night of the Lewis-Klitschko bout, when we find it's holding exactly $163,156,759! But Ocean has another reason for wanting to rob these particular casinos: They're all owned by a tough cookie named Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), who is currently romancing Ocean's ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts), and Ocean is still carrying a torch.
Next up, Ocean recruits an old friend, Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), to be his right-hand man. Pitt hasn't much to do in the film except look suspiciously on his buddy's interest in the Benedict-Tess relationship, but he seems to be having a good time in the role. Now, the guys need someone to bankroll the operation, so they go to Rubin Tishkoff (Elliott Gould), the money man. Gould himself is a throwback to the old days of Hollywood and plays his part with a wonderfully overstated relish. The remainder of the crew consists of Bernie Mac as Frank Cotton, the inside man; Casey Affleck and Scott Caan as Virgil and Turk Malloy, the "Mormon Twins," goofy, always bickering getaway drivers; Eddie Jemison as Livingston Dell, an electronics whiz; Don Cheadle in the aforementioned uncredited role of Basher, the munitions expert; Shaobo Qin as "The Amazing Yen," the "Grease Man," an acrobat capable of intricate body moves; Carl Reiner as Saul Bloom, a reluctant, retired con artist; and, finally, Matt Damon as Linus, a rookie, a new kid on the block, who is recruited because his father was a big-time confidence man.
The one sour grape in the bunch is Roberts, who doesn't seem to understand that she's not playing Lady Macbeth. Every time she's in a scene, it's like a wet blanket has been thrown over the proceedings, and the tongue-in-cheek mood darkens considerably. OK, hers is a thankless job, to be sure, the only female character in the cast and a disgruntled character at that. Still, when Angie Dickinson played the part forty years before, she was more attuned to the spirit of the fun.
Part two of the film sets up the heist, and part three recounts the robbery itself, a routinely clever operation that's more intricate than a "Mission Impossible" plot. The whole thing gets sillier as it goes along, but you'll probably be conned by it, anyhow. It's no Newman/Redford "Sting," mind you, but it's playful and amusing.
The production values are high; the look of the film is rich and flashy; the music is cool, laid-back, and jazz-inflected; the editing is smoothly executed; the pacing is quick; and the gimmicks are many, from split screens to fast motion. It's a production as deft as its players.
Film Rating: 7/10
"Ocean's Twelve":
We have to get one thing clear at the outset here: 2004's "Ocean's Twelve" is not as good a heist film as 2001's "Ocean's Eleven." But it was never meant to be.
Instead, "Ocean's Twelve" is meant to be more of a throwback to the old 1960 Sinatra/rat-pack film that inspired both newer films. "Ocean's Twelve" is lighter and sillier than "Eleven," full of good-hearted camaraderie, the kind of picture where it looks like the cast is having more fun than the audience. The plot is almost inconsequential, clearly subordinate to the characters and the good time they're having. None of which means "Ocean's Twelve" is a bad movie. Indeed, in its own way I found it at least as entertaining as "Ocean's Eleven." Just don't expect quite the same thing, even though the stars and director remain the same.
Of course, no cast or director of any worth would want to duplicate a previous success in every detail, so, it's good to see Stephen Soderbergh and the actors tackle a little something different this time out. The movie won't entirely please the dedicated caper-flick fan, but it's still got its surprises along the way.
If you remember, when we left Danny Ocean and his crew of international thieves, they had just lifted $160,000,000+ from a Vegas casino vault. As we take up the story two-and-a-half years later, the casino owner, Terry Benedict, has gotten wind of who stole his money and he wants it back, with interest. Although Ocean and his buddies have all gone their separate ways by now, Benedict tracks them down, and there's nothing for the gang to do but get back together and pull off another job or two to raise the cash.
It's a wonder Soderbergh was able to reassemble the same cast, considering the sheer number of high-profile stars involved. There's Clooney, of course, plus Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould, Eddie Jamison, and Shaobo Qin as the gang members. Whereas in the first movie their individual jobs were clearly identified, now they just show up. Apparently, the filmmakers are relying on our having seen the first picture to know what each person's speciality is. In addition, Andy Garcia returns as the ticked-off casino owner; and Catherine Zeta-Jones is a police detective specializing in international theft; Vincent Cassell plays Baron Francois Toulour, a rival thief who calls himself "the Night Fox"; Robbie Coltrane is a big-time crook who sets up deals; and Jeroen Krabbe is a rich mark. Then, if that weren't enough, there are several surprise guest stars who pop up in cameo roles.
If you don't catch all of what's going on in "Ocean's Twelve," don't feel bad; you're not supposed to. Soderbergh's penchant for time shifts, flashbacks and flash-forwards, semidocumentary style, and ostensibly extemporaneous acting only serve to further muddle what is already a complicated and totally preposterous plot. At one point, the gang actually raise a whole building off its foundations just to get a clear shot with a crossbow through a window. And that isn't easy when the building is several stories tall and sitting on an Amsterdam canal. I've watched this movie three times now and still don't understand everything that happens in it. I figure if I watch it again, I'll have maybe 95% of it worked out, which is probably more than the screenwriter and director could explain. The fact is, we're not expected to figure it all out. Part of the movie's fun is its absurdity.
No, nothing is simple in this film, including a bet the Night Fox makes with Ocean's gang that he can steal a fabulous Faberge egg before they can. If he wins, Ocean has to admit that the Fox is the better thief; if the Fox loses, he promises to pay back all the money Ocean and company owe to Benedict. As I said, none of it makes much sense, but it's not where the journey ends that counts but the joys of the trip itself. And this trip is a trip.
In "Ocean's Twelve" the director pokes fun at all the stars involved, even Clooney getting his share of ribs. "Do I look fifty to you?" he asks Cheadle. "Yeah," answers Cheadle. "Well, only from the neck up." Roberts and Damon needle their own movie personas, Roberts as an imitation of herself, literally, and Damon as a naive, woebegone beginner. In fact, Damon has one of the funniest scenes in the film when he's trying to converse with gangster Coltrane on a big heist deal and can't understand a word of the underworld lingo.
"Ocean's Twelve" is easygoing (think of Sinatra's old album "Nice 'N' Easy") and mostly congenial, but it may be too devoid of story or character development to satisfy every audience member. In that event, I recommend the viewer simply enjoy the sights of Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, Paris, Amsterdam, Lake Como, Rome, Monaco, and elsewhere. The movie has as much to delight the eye as it does to tickle the funny bone.
As I say, I found "Ocean's Twelve" at least as amusing as its predecessor, but I recognize that this is probably a minority opinion. The first movie seemed awfully pat to me, too much like a typical heist flick, with all its usual, logical intricacies. "Ocean's Twelve," on the other hand, is more like a family outing; that is, it's an adventure with people we know and like, people we're familiar with and can depend on. The fun comes in the casts' seemingly improvised repartee and self parody. It's all fluff, to be sure, but it's fun, harmless, and completely engaging fluff.
Film Rating: 7/10
"Ocean's Thirteen":
When the second film didn't quite live up to box-office expectations, Soderbergh decided in the third film, 2007's "Ocean's Thirteen," to tighten the plot line and add the best antagonist yet. The result for me was a mediocre picture. The fact is, I think the whole cast was just a little tired of it all by now. Nevertheless, it's not a bad movie, just a remarkably weightless one that remains appealing mainly to see so many stars in one place.
The usual suspects are in on the action: We've got Clooney as the leader of the crew, Danny Ocean. Then we've got Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, Andy Garcia, Eddie Izzard, Vincent Cassel, and producer Jerry Weintraub. But in this installment the filmmakers have added even more big-timers to the cast roster: Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, Julian Sands, and Oprah Winfrey among them.
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[release]22261[/release]