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Based
on the Rat Pack’s 1960 film of the same name, director Steven
Soderbergh and screenwriter Ted Griffin modernize the heist,
bringing along with them a star studded cast. Although the film
will not be considered Soderbergh’s crowning achievement, in a
year full of lifeless popcorn junk, “Ocean’s Eleven” is
the perfect example of what a popcorn movie should be –
a-sit-down-don’t-think-and-just-enjoy kind of movie.
Daniel Ocean (George Clooney), freshly granted a parole after
years of imprisonment for embezzling, decides to pull another
heist on the same day he gets out. Setting his suave eyes on Las
Vegas, Ocean wants to score from three of the most profitable
casinos on The Strip: The Bellagio, MGM Grand and The Mirage.
All owned by Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the casinos can hold
up to anywhere from $80 million to $160 million on site. While
the money alone is a very good incentive to do the job, Ocean
has a more personal reason as his estranged wife Tess (Julia
Roberts) has left him for Benedict.
With the casinos’ state of the art safe, security guards with
uzi’s, ubiquitous laser motion sensors, tons of cameras,
fingerprint identifications and security codes that change more
times than my luck playing slots, Ocean needs a talented group
to even have a chance of pulling such a caper. From a slick
pick-pocketer (Matt Damon) to a sensitive blackjack dealer
(Bernie Mac), from a rich kid’s poker instructor (Brad Pitt)
to a limber Chinese acrobat (Shaobo Qin), Ocean gets his guys.
For those expecting OE to be as dramatic as “Traffic”
or as intricately detailed as “The Score”,
they will be terribly disappointed. With his Oscar win for Best
Director earlier this year, it seems like Soderbergh is taking a
little break with this one. Not as cinematically significant as
any of his earlier works in terms of being groundbreaking, OE is
nothing more than a solidly gratifying movie.
The actual heist falls in place a bit too perfectly and
conveniently to be plausible though. Change of costumes left in
elevators and sneaking in through the back with a food cart
seems just a tad bit improbable not to be noticed by security,
especially in Las Vegas where the whole city is basically under
close surveillance. However, OE is not so much about how
believable it can be, as so much how fun it can be watching it
all unfold. With its suave banters, colorful cast with lots of
personality, and bumps along the way that will keep you
guessing, OE will keep you smiling from start to finish.
Then there is the subplot of the romantic quibbles between Ocean
and Tess. Although not the main focus of the film, the
screenplay masterfully incorporates it into the heist and works
quite well.
With Soderbergh behind the camera, Griffin’s slick screenplay
and a cast that is “out of sight” (go ahead and roll your
eyes), OE is one of the best movies of the year.
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