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Rating: 8/10 (15 February 2002)

***MINOR SPOILERS***
Soderbergh goes Vegas!
OK, so it's not the original Rat Pack, however, the cast list here is longer on names and perhaps stronger than the original. The finished result is a stylish caper movie that is played for fun while never really engaging the brain. George Clooney revisits his Out of Sight persona; he's been here before and know all the right moves which executes perfectly. Particularly pleasing is the chemistry between George Clooney and Brad Pitt, who seems to be wearing the wardrobe from Fight Club.
OK, the film is formulaic. We've been here before and you might even be wondering if Steven Soderbergh is going to adding in the alternate 'SWAT van dangling off a mountain' ending to the director's cut of the DVD. None of this matters though. It's like being reunited with an old friend who's smartened up a lot since you last saw them. All the familiar characters and plot twists are there and they're all where you expect them. For the postmodernists among you there are lots of cheeky references not only to the original but to the genre in general. Don Cheadle's accent is probably that bad on purpose; another knowing reference. I can see Soderbergh making him watch Mary Poppins to get the cockney 'spot on guv'ner'
File under 'fun'.