rubbish

Rating: 4/10 (10 February 2005)

SPOILERS The original Ratpack was one of the coolest group of men to ever exist. With members like Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jnr, it just oozed class. Then in 2001 perhaps their most famous film was remade with a modern cast. Amazingly though, "Oceans 11" was actually pretty damn good as a fun, heist film. The problem comes with Hollywood's tradition of making sequels of successful films. So here, in 2004 we have "Oceans 12". Sadly, unlike the first film, this sequel might contain the fun, but it lacks the plot and heist quality which made the first so enjoyable.
Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his friends are in trouble. Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the victim of their last major crime, has found them. Now, with a huge debt to Benedict, Ocean's Eleven has two weeks to commit another amazing task of daring and initiative.
From the offset, this film shows signs of being about friends having a good time. With friends making cameos throughout (most notably Bruce Willis playing himself) we have some of Hollywood's finest hanging out together in a fun environment. Sadly however, this does not necessarily make a good film.
The beautiful thing about the first Oceans film was that whilst the cast obviously enjoyed themselves, there was a brilliant plot and some clever effects to fall back on. In "Ocean's Twelve" though, scriptwriter George Nolfi got sloppy. With flashbacks instead of heists, the film cuts down on the excitement, and with obscure plot twists, it makes limited sense.
Another key problem is that during the film, there are some really stomach retching moments. At one point, one star even pretends to be herself. Also, there are some truly abysmal lines.
The problem is though that despite all the major criticisms, there are one or two truly funny lines in the film. For that alone, it deserves more than to be completely condemned. It's not a film worth watching, but it's not the worst film in recent years.