The Heist that Oozed Cool

Rating: 10/10 (30 May 2007)

The risky thing about these kind of films is the fact that being remakes of previous versions carrying big-name stars it faces the inevitable comparison. However, the first OCEAN'S ELEVEN wasn't exactly CASABLANCA or CITIZEN KANE. Steven Soderbergh assembles a spectacular cast -- which I don't need to mention since practically everyone who's seen the film knows it will have Soderbergh s usual suspects and some new ones -- but if there is an ultimate star in this, OCEAN'S ELEVEN, it is he. Every shot, every scene, the very construction of the heists that Danny Ocean's pack of sophisticated thieves execute, along with cracking dialog and vintage music creates not only a sizzling reconstruction: it transcends its genres limitations, and it flows elegantly with Soderberghs inimitable stamp, and that is film-making at its best -- the art of creating cinematic jazz.