Very fun popcorn movie with a lot of flash.

Rating: 7/10 (18 July 2004)

A remake of the 1960 Rat Pack version, OCEAN'S ELEVEN is about eleven men involved in robbing a Las Vegas casino vault on the night of a big boxing match--when the vault's contents will be at their highest, around $150 million. The leader of this heist is Danny Ocean (George Clooney), fresh out of jail, and his right-hand man is Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt). Things become more complicated as we learn that the owner of the casino in question, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), is involved with Danny's ex-wife Tess Ocean (Julia Roberts). The plan unfolds bit by bit, and ultimately unravels in a thrilling conclusion.
*possible spoilers*
OCEAN'S ELEVEN isn't really meant to be a thinking movie, but it does what it comes to do very well. It's a fun popcorn movie, that's really slick and very stylish and cool. Aside from the fact that this could never happen in real life, the movie makes the heist and all of the details of it seem brilliant. Of course the outcome of it is entirely predictable, but the fact that the whole plan unravels perfectly is very impressive. The movie is a ton of fun to watch.
Though this is a big ensemble movie (and with a great cast, too), there's no definitive star. There are a lot of big names, but one of the biggest, Julia Roberts, doesn't get a lot of screen time and has a minor role (an unnecessary and irrelevant one, as well). All of the cast does excellently, though. They aren't given a lot to work with except sit back and look cool, but they pull it off perfectly. Brad Pitt has probably the coolest role, with George Clooney in second.
OCEAN'S ELEVEN won't provide many twists in the plot or even real substance, but there's a lot of flash and it's very fun to watch. Excellently cast and a great ensemble. 7/10.