Does make sense

Rating: Null/10 (15 December 2002)

As others have noted, the details of the casino caper plot (which reminded me a little of David Mamet's "The Score") are highly implausible, mainly because of the expense. The cost of creating a duplicate vault, of buying all the high-tech equipment and gear, of outfitting a SWAT team, etc., had to be extraordinarily high. And yet the movie shows the eleven buying all this stuff and using it and the viewer cannot help but get a little skeptical when they start unloading machine shop equipment, and skids of supplies.
But a little thought about the plot suddenly helped it all make sense to me. and it all revolves around Rueben, Elliot Gould's character. Pitt and Clooney go to him to bankroll the job and he agrees for two reasons - to make money, of course, and to stick it to Andy Garcia's casino owner character. If we assume that Rueben has a ton of money, and that he made available to the eleven whatever they needed, then all we have to demand from the plot is that the personnel are as talented as Clooney and Pitt tell us they are - which is not that big a leap.
I really like complicated con movies and this one keeps moving and keeps the viewer wondering what will happen next. Sure, it's got some problems, but it's still an 8 out of 10 in my book.