Videos of Brad Pitt, George Clooney etc just smiling for the cameras might be money better spent . . .

Rating: 5/10 (5 February 2005)

I had low expectations of this film and it didn't exceed them. It has a nice roll call of talent - Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and the award winning director Steven Soderbergh all turning up - and lining up - to churn out a movie with as much pizzaz as a millionaire buying a new car cos the ashtrays in the old one were full.
The story  for want of a poorer word  follows the heist team of Oceans 11 as they try to outwit fellow thieves (and the efforts of international detectives) pulling off unbelievably difficult and lucrative robberies. It teems with one-liners that are meant to be amusing and aren't, actors who look like they are reprising cameos from earlier  and better  movies, and a story that would be interesting if it wasn't so silly, and directed so unconvincingly.
Director Steven Soderbergh has come a long way since such indie bursts of creativity such as Sex, Lies, and Videotape, the tongue in cheek charm of Out of Sight (which is in a similar vein to Oceans 12, but with the exception that it is a Good Film), or the powerful social statements of Erin Brockovich and Traffic. Here, it seems, he wants to rake in some cash without doing much work  nothing wrong with that if you can get away with it, but don't expect film fans to thank you Mr Soderbergh.
On a positive side, there's a few nice locations around Europe even if they are underused, and the lighting and print quality was excellent. References to other movies are perhaps intentional rather than merely derivative, but they are probably more entertaining to those working on the film than the audience.
In the interests of space, I will only suggest two reasons to avoid going to see this film. One is that it is not worth seeing. The other is to convince people with talent and money that being superstars and knowing how to work a camera is not a license to insult the film-going public. Sadly this film has already recouped its $100,000,000+ investment, due no doubt to a considerable sum being spent on advertising and cashing in on names. But for those who like any excuse to see their movie heroes, maybe you will find it pleasant to watch.