An easy film to watch and make, but it smacks of self indulgence

Rating: 5/10 (6 September 2016)

If you're looking for a light-hearted caper movie, then OCEAN'S TWELVE is nothing more – and nothing less – than that. As with the previous instalment in the series, director Steven Soderbergh goes out of the way to make this feel like a '60s movie, with a breezy tone, brisk dialogue, and sweep-along editing that carries the viewer along for some definitely light entertainment. But hey, we don't always want to watch heavy, gruelling drama, so I don't have a problem with these intentions at all.
In retrospect, it was pretty easy to get this film right. It had the chance to throw off the 'remake' tag, so could follow pretty much whatever plot it wanted. All the cast came back from the original, so the camaraderie was already there from the beginning. Soderbergh's idea is to up the stakes, up the money and make things even more twisty-turny than before, and he ably succeeds at that. This film is so chock-full of crosses, double crosses, triple crosses, and surprises that half the time is spent just keeping up with what's going on. Luckily, the cast are more than watchable, although with a huge ensemble like this, it's fair to say nobody is required to 'act' very much. Matt Damon probably gives the most earnest turn, but Clooney and Pitt are just here to trade on their charm and status, and supports like Garcia and Gould barely register. Catherine Zeta Jones plays a large part and achieves some old 'movie star' charm although I never warmed to her ice-cold character. One surprise is a nice turn from Vincent Cassel, an actor I always enjoy seeing on film, and no exception here.
Of course, the film isn't perfect. It takes a rather long time to get to the 'meat' of the plot and the opening introductions are long-winded and unnecessary, also rather repetitive. The film can also be accused of being self-indulgent, especially in the part where Julia Roberts's character ends up pretending to beJulia Roberts. Still, I could forgive this part thanks to the fun Bruce Willis cameo, and it all comes together for the "pull the rug out from under you" ending.