Hollywood

Rating: Null/10 (15 April 2002)

Let's rob together! (Ocean's Eleven)
Eleven charming delinquents intend to rob the three largest and richest casinos in Las Vegas. The mission seems to be impossible, but our heroes especially Danny Ocean (George Clooney) the leader of the gang are amazingly smart. The plan is simple and incredibly complicated at the same time. Naturally we know nothing about the details at the beginning of the chosen night, which is the night of a box match between Lennox Lewis and DR. Vladimir Klitschko, so surprise follows surprise. Eleven males would make a kind of boring film from sexual point of view therefore the director did not leave the indispensable love element out. This is how finally we have to realize in the cinema that the whole thing is not because of money but love.
Remakes are fashionable again in Hollywood although they are usually remakes of European films, the case of Ocean's Eleven is different. This movie isthe adaptation of an old American film from 1959. 'People went to see that film because of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop If they only had had to read the telephone directory, the film would have been successful still.' - says Jerry Weintraub the producer. It is very difficult to get rid of the feeling that the same is true to this version. The creators did not have the intention to change anything but the scene. What we get is bunch of superstars like George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and I firmly believe this is what makes the audience get into the cinema initially.
On the other hand the story itself promises something interesting. People seem to like these kind of brainy guys solving problems that are expected to be impossible, robbing top secure banks, escaping from prisons, etc. Basically this is a typically Hollywood topic and the message is simple: there is no such a thing as impossible, everything can be done, you can conquer a crowd of aggressive dinosaurs (Jurassic Park 1993), you can escape from the whole German army (Saving Private Ryan 1998), one man can save the whole world (Armageddon 1998 and many others) and so on and so forth.
Except for the luxurious house of Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould) the financial supporter of the plan the whole film takes place in casinos and hotels. These institutions let the crew work in their buildings free. It is easy to understand since the film is a two-hour advertisement for them. So the story is in the world of glittering and the world of well-off people, both much adored by average Americans (and Europeans).