How We Rated This Film TC Candler - B Richard Propes - B Jacob Hall - B+

TC Candler's Comment

How rare... a remake of a crummy film. Luckily the remake is far better and is a worthwhile venture into the high-tech caper genre. Danny Ocean (Clooney), just released from a stint in prison, immediately forms a "Dirty Dozen" type group of buddies who will all play a part in the theft of $150 million from three Vegas casinos. One is the pickpocket, one is the inside man, one is the forger, one is the demolition expert... etc. I was surprised not to see a tunnel man. Anyway, you get the picture. The eleven of them are all involved in one way or another and each of them gets his share of screen time. The billionaire in charge of all this loot is Terry Benedict (Garcia) who, not so coincidentally, is also dating Danny's ex-wife Tess (Roberts). So we watch this group, some suave and debonair, others motley and weird, as they plan the complex and virtually impossible task of knocking off one of the most guarded vaults in the world, rivaling the security of a "nuclear missile silo." All the while, Danny has an ulterior motive in that he wants to win back his ex, a fact that is not lost on Rusty Ryan (Pitt) who warns him that the heist will fail if his feelings get in the way.

The all star cast, all very talented, shine in every scene they are in. If only some of them weren't on screen for less than a minute or two, we might actually get to enjoy it more. Come to think of it the film should be called Ocean's Three or Four and then a Bunch of Other Guys... and a Girl. The actors who occupy the bulk of the running time are all truly movie stars in every sense of the word. Clooney can carry the screen as well as anyone when it comes to roles like these. I'd like to see him try a role where the character is dumb and ugly, awkward and unfunny... although I doubt he gets many scripts like that. Pitt is his cool self in the sidekick role. Julia... well what more can you say. And Andy Garcia is superb as the slicked back haired business man with a sharp intellect, who has his eye on and his hand in everything. Garcia is a terrific bad guy.

Soderbergh does a good job of going unnoticed here. The film didn't have all the trademarks of his recent outings. Here he has a blueprint to follow, and he does so with aplomb. A caper movie needs style and flare, not inventive cuts and angles. He shows here that he can handle all the standard film assignments. What he should do now is revert to his unique and original style that made him great with films like Traffic, Out of Sight and Erin Brockovich. I think this was just to show us that he can sell out just like any of us. At least he sells out well.

The ending was a little Mamet-like... too many twists and turns draw attention to the plot and say to the viewer "look how clever we are." The final two minutes, the resolution, were abysmal. I was left with the word... AND? It was confusing and deflating after a film that was all green lights from the word go.

This next criticism may sound odd considering I give the film a solid recommendation, but the heist itself is ludicrous. The plan has more holes than Swiss cheese. I laughed in parts, as will anyone with any common sense, at the ridiculous ways the group bypasses certain security measures. Ray Charles could have provided more security for the vault than some of the guards. But I guess that is part of the fun in making and watching a film like this... How far can you go? This film definitely tests the limits of that question.

The material is over powered by the people working with it. The script is elevated to the silver screen as lushly as possible, I doubt many could have done better with this story. Unfortunately the film falls short of greatness, and with my extremely high expectations going in, I was slightly disappointed.

Richard Propes' Comment

n/a