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Ocean's
Eleven
George
Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Casey Affleck,
Scott Caan, Ralph Fiennes, Bill Murray, Carl Reiner, Andy Garcia. Written by Stephen W. Carpenter, Scott Frank and Ted
Griffin Produced by Jerry Weintraub Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Based on the Rat Pack’s 1960 film of the same
name, director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Ted Griffin modernize the
heist, bringing along with them a star studded cast. Although the film will not
be considered Soderbergh’s crowning achievement, in a year full of
lifeless popcorn junk, “Ocean’s Eleven” is the perfect example
of what a popcorn movie should be –
a-sit-down-don’t-think-and-just-enjoy kind of movie.
Daniel Ocean
(George Clooney), freshly granted a parole after years of imprisonment for
embezzling, decides to pull another heist on the same day he gets out. Setting
his suave eyes on Las Vegas, Ocean wants to score from three of the most
profitable casinos on The Strip: The Bellagio, MGM Grand and The Mirage. All
owned by Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the casinos can hold up to anywhere from
$80 million to $160 million on site. While the money alone is a very good
incentive to do the job, Ocean has a more personal reason as his estranged wife
Tess (Julia Roberts) has left him for Benedict.
With the casinos’
state of the art safe, security guards with uzi’s, ubiquitous laser motion
sensors, tons of cameras, fingerprint identifications and security codes that
change more times than my luck playing slots, Ocean needs a talented group to
even have a chance of pulling such a caper. From a slick pick-pocketer (Matt
Damon) to a sensitive blackjack dealer (Bernie Mac), from a rich kid’s
poker instructor (Brad Pitt) to a limber Chinese acrobat (Shaobo Qin), Ocean
gets his guys.
For those expecting OE to be as dramatic as
“Traffic” or as intricately detailed as “The Score”, they
will be terribly disappointed. With his Oscar win for Best Director earlier
this year, it seems like Soderbergh is taking a little break with this one. Not
as cinematically significant as any of his earlier works in terms of being
groundbreaking, OE is nothing more than a solidly gratifying movie.
The
actual heist falls in place a bit too perfectly and conveniently to be
plausible though. Change of costumes left in elevators and sneaking in through
the back with a food cart seems just a tad bit improbable not to be noticed by
security, especially in Las Vegas where the whole city is basically under close
surveillance. However, OE is not so much about how believable it can be, as so
much how fun it can be watching it all unfold. With its suave banters, colorful
cast with lots of personality, and bumps along the way that will keep you
guessing, OE will keep you smiling from start to finish.
Then there is
the subplot of the romantic quibbles between Ocean and Tess. Although not the
main focus of the film, the screenplay masterfully incorporates it into the
heist and works quite well.
With Soderbergh behind the camera,
Griffin’s slick screenplay and a cast that is “out of sight” (go
ahead and roll your eyes), OE is one movie you should check out.
