A good cast's ego project calls horribly awry

Rating: 5/10 (18 April 2005)

It's fitting that "Ocean's 12" is about a heist; it feels like someone stole the cast and crew from the first film and placed them in an inferior movie. With such a talented group of actors assembled, it's a shame that this sequel lacks the inspiration that fueled the original.
It's been three years since the team pulled off the $180 million heist in Las Vegas. Time has eventually caught up with them, and Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) demands payback for his embarrassment. He gives Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and the rest of the gang two weeks to make good on the money they've stolen, or he's going to have them killed.
So Ocean reassembles his team, including Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon), Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle), and the rest. They head off to Europe to make some fast cash and repay Benedict. But there's a small problem. A rival thief who goes by the alias Night Fox (Vincent Cassel) is the one who tipped off Benedict, and holds Ocean and his team at his mercy. In a bid to find out who is the best, the Night Fox challenges Ocean's Eleven to steal the same prize that he is seeking.
With no choice as to other jobs to take in such a short time, the team reluctantly accepts. However, a contingency pops up in the form of European detective Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a former acquaintance of Rusty's who has vowed to put the group behind bars. The team is forced to outwit both the Night Fox and Lahiri while still under the time limit imposed by Benedict.
"Ocean's 12" can't be blamed for trying. The first film was lighthearted enough with likable characters, but was a fully realized story that didn't demand a follow-up. The sequel in turn strains for credibility, and has trouble finding a coherent plot. The actual heist this time seems like kiddie stuff compared to the ultra coordinated caper in the original.
Director Steven Soderbergh directs the film with the same indie flair he used in the original, but unfortunately, this time the plot comes crashing down on him. The story doesn't have the same fluid pace, and jumps around uncontrollably. Soderbergh does his best, and the parts that work are due to his vision, but he can't make the movie seem like anything more than just a series of interesting scenes.
All the actors give a fine performance, but their parts seem less polished this time around. Clooney, Pitt and Damon are fun to watch, but unfortunately, they overshadow the rest of the actors. In fact, Bernie Mac, Elliot Gould, Carl Reiner and Shaobo Qin seem like they're hardly on screen at all. Julia Roberts returns in an almost thankless small part as Tess Ocean, who comes in to help the team. Cassel on the other hand is delightfully hammy.
But the characters can't really save a plot line that seems desperate. Some history tells the story behind that. The screenplay was once an original story, however Warner Bros. tapped the screenwriter to rewrite the story to fit a sequel for their hit original "Ocean's 11." This speaks volumes toward the sometimes shoddy storytelling and forced plot contrivances.
"Ocean's 12" probably won't have the same lasting power as the original. It's certainly fun to watch, and the characters are still a joy to see in action, but the talent that is on screen and behind it is what's driving this film, because the plot sure isn't. There are some neat twists and turns along the path, but the real theft being committed here is on the audience, whose good memories of the first film have been stolen and replaced with this inferior sequel.
5 out of ten stars. Might have been way better if the actors and filmmakers were concerned with the audience having as much fun watching it as they had making it.