"You do the math."

Rating: Null/10 (6 May 2009)

Eleven men convene to pull off the greatest con in the history of Las Vegas: lifting three casinos (the Mirage, the MGM Grand, and the Bellagio). This becomes the monumental task for "Ocean's Eleven", masterminded by Danny Ocean. Danny and his right-hand man Rusty "Russ" Ryan assign the remaining nine men various jobs based on their individual specialties. The owner of the casinos is the merciless Terry Benedict, with whom Danny's ex-wife Tess is now in a relationship. The degree of risk in this grand heist is all too great; one tiny mistake or one lapse of concentration can cause the whole scam to backfire. Assuming everything goes according to plan, the numerical figure is just above $160 million.
The casting of "Ocean's Eleven" could not have been any better! The handsome George Clooney stars as Danny Ocean, and the beautiful Julia Roberts plays Tess; their sharp, witty dialogue exchanges are invaluable. The dignified Andy Garcia brilliantly portrays Terry Benedict, "the enemy". Not to mention Brad Pitt as the constantly-eating celebrity-poker instructor Rusty Ryan; Matt Damon as the skilled pickpocket Linus Caldwell; Shaobo Qin as the limber Chinese acrobat Yen; Elliott Gould as the swaggering big-shot financier Reuben Tishkoff; Carl Reiner as the convincing flimflam man Saul Bloom; Bernie Mac as the suave blackjack dealer Frank Catton; Don Cheadle (uncredited, for some reason) as the British explosives expert Basher Tarr; Eddie Jemison as the unnerved surveillance expert Livingston Dell; and Casey Affleck & Scott Caan as "white trash" bickering twins Virgil & Turk Malloy, drivers/bellhops/valets/bodyguards/paramedics/"balloon boys"/etc.
My favorite moments from "Ocean's Eleven" include the following. Near the end of the picture, Danny's ten comrades walk toward the famous Bellagio fountains and watch the show, to the accompaniment of a beautiful piece of music by Claude Debussy. After squeezing his small, flexible frame inside a cash cart, Yen shows his appreciation to Russ for offering him a magazine. Danny and Linus nervously strap themselves to the top of the vault elevator shaft, which is rigged with motion sensors. When Danny and some of his crew arrive at the California Institute of Advanced Science (in order to steal a "pinch"), Linus expresses disgust at having to remain inside the van with the Malloy twins; having had enough of their quarreling, Linus escapes the van and enters the building, only to be chased by security, forcing him to jump from the roof onto the van. At Reuben's gaudy residence, Danny explains to his crew the layout of the entire scam, illustrated by computer animation. A tense moment occurs when Danny and Linus prepare to blow up the vault door while Yen's bandaged hand is stuck in the door from inside the vault! The brief blackout causes a massive free-for-all in the boxing ring and on the casino floors. During the celebrity five-card draw game, Topher shows his hand: "All reds!" And finally, I love the three flashbacks as Reuben describes to Danny & Russ the top three failed casino heists.
In closing, I cannot write a commentary of "Ocean's Eleven" without expressing my highest praise for the brilliant music score of David Holmes. The music keeps the picture driving along at a respectable pace and keeps the audience interested. Some of my favorite musical moments from this film include: Danny exiting the prison during the opening credits; Linus' first appearance in the subway; Livingston disguised as security personnel infiltrating the casino security hallways and eventually losing his way; the "S.W.A.T. team" leaving the casino carrying the bags of money; Linus jumping onto the van from a rooftop; the end of the lunch scene at Reuben's residence, leading into Frank Catton's migration to Vegas and the introduction of the Malloy twins; and finally, "Caravan" and "Blues in the Night" accompanying the respective introductions of Yen and Saul. What a fantastic music score!