Not a traditional caper movie, but that doesn't make it bad.

Rating: 9/10 (21 August 2007)

When I watched this movie first,I also hated it like all others. But when I saw it second time, it started to make some real sense to me. I really admired it.
It's a fine rendition according to the term sequel.In the first part,they just stole the casino money from Benedict. What would you like to see in the sequel actually? Of course not another famous heist by Ocean gang,because that would've been a cliché. Instead, we would like to see how arrogant Benedict reacts at Ocean gang. And when he got the chance through Night Fox,he reacted even to the surprise of Night Fox. That suited really good for a sequel.
People are complaining about the camera angle and long shots. But it didn't bother me at all. The long shot taken in the Matsui scene perfectly presented Linus's(Matt Damon)helplessness in front of Matsui's code language. He is the same man to play super CIA agent Bourne who looked very confident and desperate in Bourne's trilogy.But here in this shot,his rendition of helpless young ambitious gang member just stated his versatility boldly. The long take in Rusty's room with he and Ocean drinking and watching TV was also great to show off their frustration.
Livingstone was referring to Yen as modern man who is disconnected, frightened and so on in a way that he was mocking the memorizing of literary Q/A for exam. This idea really uplifted the class of the movie much more than Schumann's special did to the building. That was really innovative,experimental and funny.
The movie had great acting support from every cast member,there was great background music as well. I mean,really,how can you hate a movie with such good background music? The finishing was also very good 'twist in the tail' sort.
This movie is a bit different from Hollywood mainstream. It had it's own style which included behavioral,gesture-rich acting with which we weren't quite accustomed to. But that's our problem,I guess,not the director's fault. When I first read T.S.Eliot,I dumped the book loud on the floor. Does that make Eliot rubbish?
Don't try to watch it with previous determination of watching a traditional caper movie,watch it with a free mind. I think you will get the tone of the movie like I did in the second attempt.