Not clever

Rating: 5/10 (22 January 2005)

We all know how sequels in Hollywood usually go, but I had high hopes for another Soderbergh-directed outing of George Clooney et al in Ocean's Twelve. It was shot in the same documentary style, but gone is the clever plot of the original in favour of dialogue and in-jokes. The central heist is not clever when compared to the original's, while most plot surprises fell flat. An attempt to revive the 1960s with fashion and simple typography failed to impressit lacked the polish of that era. Catherine Zeta-Jones was a saving grace, for her acting ability and seemingly more screen presence than the returning actors, and it was a pity we saw Carl Reiner so little, given he did give the team more gravitas. It gets some marks for the presence of major actors in minor rolesBruce Willis, Robbie Coltrane and Jeroen Krabbé (with no lines) among themand the audience I was with certainly enjoyed the film's main in-joke, but otherwise this was a plot less movie. Wasted potential.