Formulaic and nothing deep, but well-acted and very entertaining.

Rating: 7/10 (5 March 2002)

You could point out how ridiculously complex the robbery is. You could wonder why Tess dated the casino owner in the first place. You could even analyze the underlying sexism in the story, but by doing so you're really missing the point: 'Ocean's Eleven' is not supposed to be deep or meaningful - it's just very fine entertainment.
Danny Ocean (George Clooney), master con-artist and thief, has just been given parole after a few years in prison for the one crime he got caught for. So naturally the first thing he does is get in touch with old partner Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), now teaching stupid Hollywood teen stars how to play poker, and they assemble a crew (his 'Eleven') for a stunningly audacious heist - he's going to break into the vault that holds the cash for three of Las Vegas's biggest casinos during a world heavyweight title fight. Ocean also plans to steal his ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts) off Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the owner of the casinos.
It's a heist movie, and as such there are a few basic elements - experienced pros, talented youth (Matt Damon), beautiful love interest, evil villain, super-secure safe. Yes, it's predictable in its basic plot, but the real pleasure in the movie comes from watching the ingenious robbery unfold, twists, turns, problems and all, and the considerable charm of the stellar cast. The deadpan Pitt and Clooney and the snakelike Andy Garcia are particularly good, and there are some excellent lines:
Clooney: 'What happened to Billy X?' Pitt: 'Dead.' C: 'He got shot?' P: 'No, skin cancer.' C: 'You send flowers to the funeral?' P: 'Dated his wife for a while.'
There's not much substance in the film, but there sure is a lot of style.
RATING: 7/10
Tane