A detailed comparison of the old and new Ocean's Eleven

Rating: Null/10 (7 May 2002)

A `Rat Pack' movie re-make may spring to one's mind on first hearing the title of this latest cinema release, but according to the producer Jerry Weintraub (who has also worked on the original) the two are very different. The name is the same, yes, and the basic story-lines also bare resemblance to each other, that is true. This is where the similes end between the two productions ! Ocean's Eleven (1960's) is about 11 `straight guys' who unlike the new 11 don't have any previous criminal convictions, and with dames at their beckon call throughout the movie and a highly pleasurable social life you start to ask yourself why should they even bother robbing their proposed target of 5 Las Vegas casinos? Aren't their lifestyles lavish enough as it is? This slightly surreal setting is all part and parcel of the slapstick styled movie. Some of the dialogue is great, and it's a classic period piece saluting chauvinism, alcoholism, arrogance, and Las Vegas glitz. Ol blue eyes plays the part of prime instigator Ocean (but in my opinion is not a patch on the alternative Clooney character who out-smooths Sinatra) with Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr by his side as part of the over excessive extra ten needed to pull off the insanely risky heist. It's a colourful neon encrusted showbiz spectacle but unfortunately what was considered `cool' then seems a touch silly in today's world in comparison to the over powering slickness of the modern day version. The 2001 version offers us a range of characters, some of whom are just irresistible and are so good at acting `cool' and thus keeping the whole ethos of the film running smoothly throughout, with ` smoothly' being the operative word in that last sentence. There are some unforgettable scenes in this movie and since all the actors involved in the production openly admitted how much fun they had making it. You can really see how relaxed everyone is around each other on screen. To all who are unaware of the modern day storyline I will now guide you through a brief outline of it. To those who think they know it because they've seen the original, read on anyway because believe me as I have already stated to you earlier these are two different films. The story begins with the just-out-of-jail Danny Ocean, (Clooney) who, straight from his penitentiary discharge starts hand picking a group of individually skilled men to embark on a three (not five) casino heist. The group consists of (Pitt) Ocean's wing man, who is also a bent cop, the pickpocket (Matt Damon), the explosives expert (Don Cheadle), the jittery surveillance expert (Eddie Jemison), a con man/blackjack dealer (Bernie Mac) a team of twin mechanical geniuses (Scott Caan & Casey Affleck), a Chinese acrobat or `grease man' (Shaoba Qin) and two old veterans to the game (Elliot Gould & Carl Reiner). On the opposing side to the likable group is the stern, machine-like owner of the three targeted casinos, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). Garcia's character is ruthless in the art of revenge and would be a reasonable deterrent to any potential thief wanting to steal his casinos combined earnings, which lie in a top drawer high security vault 200ft beneath the Las Vegas topsoil. Benedict's current girlfriend and Clooney's ex-wife in the film, Tess (Julia Roberts) puts the icing onto this already star-studded cake. It is after Garcia and Roberts are introduced that this film really takes off. The intricate and technical methods used by the eleven strong in the act of the heist are a joy to behold on the big screen and with Soderbergh behind the camera you can rest assure that sensational shots of Vegas and a barrage of slick effects accompany the entertaining story. I think it was the presence of the well-known producer Jerry Weintraub that allowed the production team such flexibility when shooting Vegas. Weintraub was quoted as saying `nobody could have shot Vegas like we did' and you can see why on witnessing the breath taking aerial shots (especially good when sat in your cinema seat). What Weintraub says becomes even more clear when you think of the strings that were pulled in staging a mock heavy weight title match with Lennox Lewis to boot. One may have to turn a blind eye to a couple of unrealistic sequences through the film, but from an overview these minor blunders don't really hinder the brilliance of Soderbergh and his team. Above all else the film is accompanied by a well suited and easy-going jazz funk soundtrack created by our own David Holmes. Holmes who also made the Out of Sight soundtrack hits the proverbial nail on the head with his latest offering. His sounds allow the film to roll nicely from one scene to the next and it all moves beautifully in tandem with the way the film and characters look, you can even feel a hint of the 1960's atmosphere coming through. As a film, its entertainment and should be enjoyable to the majority of you out there. If on the other hand you are looking for something with a deeper meaning or just hard and serious viewing, either version of Ocean's Eleven is not what your looking for, trust me!! Without a single act of profanity this is definitely family viewing and I am sure this film will do well at the box office. With an additional bonus of the Robert Altman type star line up its no wonder the stars were queuing up to be in this one.