Extraordinary Comeback

Rating: 10/10 (10 June 2007)

"Ocean's Eleven" felt like an intelligent and entertaining movie. It did very well with the story and its diverse cast, and it benefited greatly from the start leads.... Then came "Ocean's Twelve", and maybe t was the extra cast member; it just felt bloated and dragged.
Now the gang is back, and few people might disagree with any of the following descriptions because this sequel is truly spectacular, engrossing, sensational, wild, intelligent, remarkable, quick-paced, clever, striking, original, sexy, funny, surprising, appealing, vibrant, colorful, and the list could go on and on.
Films like these work well when the adversary is something to fear, and Pacino's millionaire does bring with him class, and a few scary maneuver. He hasn't reached his level of success for being Mr. Nice Guy. This time the offense is personal, and Ocean recruits his gang to set things right, and if this requires that the plot of the film becomes a bit complex in its execution, it's o.k. After all, we need equal amounts of intelligence, charm, elegance, and a touch of double-crossing. As the second in command, Ellen Barkin exudes intelligent sensuality and carries her duty with aplomb of stars from days lone gone. Here is a sexy and mature actress who knows how give a look, make a move, and wear a spectacular dress, all while conducting daily business.
The rest of the cast is equally outstanding, Clooney, Pitt, and Damon once again demonstrate why they have become popular leading men. Each could carry the film on his own, but we're grateful they know how to share screen time. Unfortunately there is not enough time to mention everyone's contributions. Let's just say, the parts make the whole work very well.
Much of the success of the film is also a result of fantastic CGI, art direction, and set decorations to bring to life a fictional world in one of the biggest and most competitive playgrounds in the world. The new hotel is both garish and impressive, with loving care given to the design of gambling environment and other hotel sections. There is also sufficient time spent on explaining how the hotel business works, without overwhelming us with too many details, just enough information to give us a taste of the cutthroat world that Las Vegas can be.
Sodenbergh successfully shows how good a director he can be, once again presenting us with a treat rarely seen in Hollywood, an intelligent, entertaining, and well developed story that supports a very good looking cast and film.