A reasonable steal

Rating: Null/10 (4 May 2003)

* Terrible * * Below Par * * * Not Bad * * * * good * * * * * Brilliant
WARNING *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
Danny Ocean(George Clooney)is a petty thief and con man who after serving about five years in prison is released on parole.Having just got out, Danny heads for LA where he hooks up with old friend and partner in crime Rusty Ryan(Brad Pitt), who is now teaching Hollywood brats how to play cards.
Danny tells Rusty that he wants him in on a plan to rob three major casino's in Las Vegas which are all owned by Pseudo-gangster Terry Benedict(A brilliant Andy Garcia).Together, the two hustlers with the help of a former casino owner named Reuben Tishkoff(A funny Elliott Gould)who finances the crime.They put together a team of men,eleven including themselves to pull off the crime.
Little does Rusty and the others realise however.Danny's ex-wife Trish(Julia Roberts)is none other than the new main squeeze of Benedict and is the main reason for Danny wanting to rob the casino's.He wants the woman he loves back and is prepared to risk everything for her.How long do you think it takes for Rusty and the others to find out?
Oceans Eleven is again one of those movies that is about style over substance.A remake of the sixties crime caper featuring the original 'Rat Pack' that comprised of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr.,Dean Martin and one other guy who nobody ever seems to remember.Having not seen the original it's impossible therefore to compare this version to it's earlier predecessor.Which is probably a good thing.
Oceans Eleven isn't a great movie.Sure it's entertaining enough and is amusing in parts but it won't be classed as the best of it's director, Steven Soderbergh.It does contain much of the trademark syle and amazing cammera work that has already earned him the recognition he deserves.Then there is the fine ensemble cast that he has aquired.Pitt and Clooney are pretty good in their respective rolls but it's the rest of the cast that really impresses.Matt Damon is superb as Linus Caldwell, the young man who is the son of a former friend and assosciate of Danny and Rusty's.He brings the right amount of rebellious youth and gritty determination to make him a truly memorable character.Carl Reiner's performance as the retirement age crook, Saul is also first rate.He shows the younger guys that age doesn't nesecarrily mean you can't cut it among the young folk any more.The rest which include, Don Cheadle(Sporting a terrible cockney accent but is never the less good in his roll), Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck etc. are all great.
Special mention must go to Andy Garcia, who the odd one out as the bad guy of the piece(Even though he is the one being robbed).Puts in a charismatically sinister performance as Benedict.A ruthless, methodical man who uses the resources of his bank balance rather than muscle to get even with those who cross him.
Where the movie fails though is in much of the plot holes that are never quite covered.For instance, how at the end of the movie do Danny and the rest of his crew manage to get out of Las Vegas and out of the Nevada desert with the loot.Lets face facts.That is a hell of a lot of cash they're carrying and you would think Benedict would quickly call the authoritesie ie.The Police and tell them to keep a look out for men disguised as security gaurds in a fake van.Not only that but you would think that Trish, knowing Danny, would inform Benedict who she thinks she loves of who Danny is.Even though she would risk exposing her past to Benedict.Plus this is hardly an original story.Look at the long list of heist movies.'The Thomas Crown affair', both versions.City of Fire, Reservoir Dogs, Gone in Sixty seconds.All these are all more or less variations on basicly the same premise.Not only that, you would have thought that Soderbergh would have had a lesser known actress(Who could have been just as capable and talented) than Julia Roberts cast in the roll of Trish.She is not in it as much as would have been expected and feels to be under used.God knows how much her salary for the part must have come to but I bet it was a fortune.
Oceans Eleven isn't a bad two hour movie.It's actually quite fun in parts but it's not the sort of movie that I would think would have made a good night out to the pictures.Rather more a decent enough viewing on the couch with your partner in front of the TV.If you get the chance, watch it but don't feel too disgruntled if you don't get to see the flick.It's not as if you're missing a classic.
Robs Rating:* * *