Ocean's Eleven a successful combination of characters and comedy

Rating: Null/10 (10 January 2002)

(Note: If you have not seen this film, or do not want any indication of the outcome, you are advised not to read this review.)
Chances are most audiences will be `In' in answer to the slogan of the new Ocean's Eleven film, `Are You In or Out?' Director Steven Soderbergh's remake of the original 1960 `ratpack' film cleans up the abuse the women take in the original and salvages the plot line only to resurrect it as a star-studded audience favorite.
The new electrifying comedy has a way of taking you and twisting your morals to siding with the beloved criminals in their quest for revenge and riches. The revived Danny Ocean (George Clooney) is the experienced `Idea Man' who immediately after his release from prison, is out making trouble again with old friends en route to his former `Wildcard' wife, Tess (Julia Roberts) who has fallen into the wealthy hands of Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the owner of Ocean's target casinos. Ocean is quickly in-touch with his good buddy Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) who co-plots the heist of three of Benedict's casinos. Ryan's suggestions of supporting criminals include `A Bowski, a Jim Brown, a Miss Daisy, two Jethros and a Leon Spinx, not to mention the biggest Ella Fitzgerald ever.' The following twenty minutes of recruitment of the right people for the jobs whizzes around the country in a speedy and enjoyable fashion including picking up their bankroll and hilarious advice from Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould) along the way and even though he thinks Ryan and Ocean are `out of your god d**n minds,' he grasps the chance to get his own payback on Benedict who muscled him out of the casino business.
The quest continues picking up a `grease man,' an electronics expert (Edward Jemison), a bomber, an inside man (Bernie Mac), a pair of getaway pros, and a high roller being the formerly retired Saul Bloom (Carl Reiner) who suffers intermittently from his ulcers. The crew assembles in Vegas and begins to collect information on each of the casinos and the security inside them in a two week period before the night of the heist which just happens to be a fight night featuring Lennox Lewis. Ocean also bravely probes into Tess on a couple of occasions throughout the weeks even in front of Benedict making for an extremely tense and appealing scene.
As all the elements of the heist fall into place on fight night, Benedict's team is toppled in a truly clever and aggressive array of Soderbergh's film genius. The fast paced heist is almost so lucrative that you will want to see the film again to appreciate the planning and execution carried out as you are left wondering `how they did it' just as Benedict is as Tess leaves him for Ocean once again.
The funny part is that in the end the heist works, and you sit there completely amazed, yet you feel extremely pleased as if the good has actually overcome the bad whereas it is more like the moderately good has overcome the evil, almost tragic.
Though at times the film may be a bit predictable and seem to draw itself towards an `All is well' ending Soderbergh never gives in and keeps it fresh and somewhat righteous as even Ocean pays for what he has done although the price is miniscule as to the reward. He came and they conquered once disproving that `the house always wins.' ***Â½