Ocean's Eleven

What a tasty prospect for a film: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts and for the young at heart amongst us, Joshua Jackson of 'Dawson's Creek' fame in a cameo role -all directed by the Oscar winning Steven Soderbergh!

George Clooney plays Danny Ocean who soon after being released from prison, puts together a team of eleven to undertake a robbery of the three biggest casinos in Las Vegas in an attempt to bring in a reward of $150 million. What soon becomes clear is that it's not the money which will give Danny the ultimate satisfaction, but the opportunity to get revenge on the owner of the three casinos he is robbing -Benedict (Andy Garcia) who just happens to be the new beau of Danny's ex, Tess (Julia Roberts).

Some of the gang of eleven are more memorable than others -especially the Chinese acrobat, the explosives expert with a dodgy cockney accent and the medallion wearing Reuben -aka Monica Gellar's dad! The cast are brilliant at acting cool -even if all Brad Pitt is doing is snacking on the screen (he does this a lot!), you are still transfixed by him because he looks so good on screen.

What makes the story so intriguing is the fact that Danny's mission seems so impossible: security in the casinos is paramount and the route to the reward is littered with obstacles. The number of close calls that the gang is faced with is great fun and one can't help but root for these crooks throughout the film. It is also refreshing to watch a film which is dominated by male stars and is not filled with macho swearing. Instead, we have a banter between the stars which is indicative of their camaraderie.

'Ocean's Eleven' is a welcome option in the choice of movies available at the moment which is dominated by Oscar nominees that are not going to be everyone's cup of tea. With this film, it's simply a case of sit back and enjoy the fun!

I imagine that followers of the legend of the Clan would find it unforgivable that George Clooney remade the ultimate Rat Pack film Ocean's 11. But I think even Frank, Dean, and Sammy would be happy with what Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh did with it. It's nothing less than a crackerjack caper film with a few stars to gaze at also.

The point in the original is that this was a film almost made as a lark for the participants while the main players were appearing at the legendary Sands Resort in Las Vegas. These were old army ranger buddies who decide to put their training to use and heist five casinos.

Clooney and buddy Brad Pitt's film has them in the Frank and Dean roles and they're a much more professional outfit who are only doing one of them. But it's the one Andy Garcia owns and Clooney has a score to settle with him. He's taken Clooney's wife away played here ever so briefly by Julia Roberts. In the original Angie Dickinson had the part. And it was also a brief part.

Clooney and Pitt go out and recruit a crack team, some they know, some they don't. But it's a professional job and close run thing.

Garcia is in a part the equivalent of George Raft from the original. It was business for Raft and business for Cesar Romero the syndicate guy he hires to find them. But Garcia's a nasty character who settles his own accounts.

The film has got a whole lot of nice touches stylistically and cast is expensive and first rate. For those familiar with the original the irony of that ending is replaced by something completely different. More in keeping with George Clooney than Frank Sinatra.

Nevertheless I think the Chairman of the Board would like this Ocean's Eleven.

A remake of a rat pack film, this was a brave venture to take on, and thank you Steven Soderbergh for this valiant effort.

Retaining a good cast, Soderbergh has modified this movie to fit with the times, and he has helped create a very slick and stylish thriller.

Danny Ocean, wants to pull off the crime of the century, by ripping off three Casino's at the same time, while at the same time settling a score or two with the casino's owner. With the help of ten others, he might just do it. Or is he not quite as smart as he appears to be.

8/10

Recommended

There is just something about this movie that makes it so great. There's nothing truly outstanding about any one aspect of the movie; nothing that will blow you away. However, everything is put together perfectly.

Personally, I have a theory that any movie that absolutely blows you away the first time you see it, will lose its entertainment value very quickly. Not necessarily because the movie was not good, but because it just seems to get old too fast. This is NOT one of those movies.

This is the kind of movie that will be enjoyed countless times. The dialogue is slick, and always to the point. There are few (if any) overdone scenes and/or lines that tend to become annoying over time.

This movie flows exceptionally well. Personally, I couldn't quite figure out why until I watched the "behind the scenes" footage on the DVD. I didn't really notice all of the work they put into using as few shots as possible. The extra features on the DVD really explain it all. Almost every scene uses considerably less shots than you would think it takes to convey all of the activity going on. The music punctuates the flow of the movie and the shots extremely well.

The cast is almost all big names. It's great to see actors like Pitt and Clooney and Damon come together in a movie and interact so well, without having to be the pretty boys or bad-ass heroes of the movie.

Ocean's Eleven is a very easy-going and purely fun movie to watch. The film is loaded with celebrities such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, and Matt Damon. Ocean's Eleven is very "loosely" based on the original Ocean's Eleven starring Frank Sinatra. Steven Soderbergh did a fabulous job directing this movie and having all the characters to connect to Danny Oceans group of 11. The plan is to steal 160$ million dollars from three Las Vegas Casino's. Sounds wacky? The planning time took up most of the movie, and you almost believe that it could be done after you see this. Andy Garcia did a fabulous job playing Terry Benedict, the owner of the Casino's where Ocean (Clooney) plans to rob. Brad Pitt plays and interesting role as Danny Ocean's sidekick. The plot flows quickly and some parts leave you laughing on the floor. Each one of the eleven characters had its own story behind them and it is seen when Rusty Ryan (Pitt) and Danny Ocean (Clooney) first go to recruit them to plan this heist. I have to say Julia Roberts didn't have a flexible character but nonetheless her presence in this film as Tess, Danny Ocean's ex-wife, is apparent. Ocean's 12 is due out in December with the same old cast and it promises to be a hit. This movie is one of my favorites because the premise is great and the actors are great.

**** out of *****