Ocean's 12" is the kind of movie that starts off okay, but soon you are watching in absolute horror as the film continues to go downhill more and more with each passing moment into the entire picture becomes an exercise in stupidity. The cast says they had a great time making it. Good for them. Too bad we can't have any fun watching it.

For those who missed the 2001 original (itself a remake of a previous film), "Ocean's 12" is the continuing story of Danny Ocean, a thief who stole a lot of money from Benedict (Andy Garcia), an evil casino owner. With the help of his 10 compatriots. In the sequel, Benedict is back for revenge and orders them to steal more money to pay him back. This is certainly a workable premise, but the film awkwardly re-introduces each character and takes a loooong time to do so. With the tedious first act over, the audience expects the film to pick up...but it doesn't. There is never a rising action. The same thing happens over and over again with no purpose. There are scenes that add nothing to the narrative. There are "comedic" scenes that fail to elicit even the smallest laugh. When all is said and done, nothing has happened.

What made the first film so interesting was that everything was in place for a reason. Each member of the team had a role to play and it was fun to each of the 11 thieves put their skills to use. The demolitions expert (Don Cheadle) did the demolitions work, and so on. I would give you more members and their roles, but I have completely forgot and this movie did not remind me. What did Matt Damon and Brad Pitt do? According to the sequel, they did the same thing, stand around and look flashy. No character specialties are put to use. Bernie Mac, for example, was the "inside man" during the first film, and here, since there is no "inside," he does absolutely nothing. Everyone is sharing the same job. Everyone acts the same way. This is the fault of the screenwriters, but also the fault of Steven Soderbergh, the Oscar winner for "Traffic. He is a good enough director to realize the importance of characters, but like the actors who seemingly partied instead of acting in a quality film, he seems far to laid back. His direction feels...well...drunk. Drunk on the fact that this film would be a hit no matter what. Drunk on the fact that this is a crew reunion instead of a film.

Thank God for Matt Damon. He is a very fine actor who doesn't get much recognition because of his consistent and excellent underplaying. He stands out. Don Cheadle, while given very little to do, stands far above the material.

George Clooney looks bored and occupied throughout. Julia Roberts is so stiff and forced here that I never once accepted her as a character. Catherine Zeta-Jones' new character adds nothing to the film and could have been trimmed if not for the need to have another star added to the roster. Brad Pitt almost pulls off a good performance, but his character is so dull that he can't do anything. Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck and the others do nothing to stand out. not in a good or bad way.

As "Ocean's 12" enters it's final act, we are bombarded with ridiculous plot twist after ridiculous plot twist. It became so off-the-wall that I'm still not sure happened. Add that to the fact that the last act contains the single STUPIDEST plot element of the past ten years, and you have a definite contender for one of the worst films of 2004.

© Written by Jacob Hall

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

TC Candler's Comment

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Richard Propes' Comment

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