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Ocean's Eleven film review
OCEAN'S ELEVEN
Running time: 116 mins
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Matt Damon, Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould, Don Cheadle
Given the paucity of good scripts, it's understandable why there's a willingness to remake old classics. What's less obvious is why anyone would want to remake an old bad film like Ocean's Eleven. One of the 1960 original's few redeeming features is it now provides us with a nostalgic glimpse of the legendary Brat Pack. All those involved made the error of assuming that because they were having a good time, the audience would too. Unfortunately it's a mistake that's also befallen Steven Soderburgh's version. Word was that the all-star cast had a ball during shooting. Sadly little of that frivolity has made it on to the screen in this slick but listless caper that tries too hard to be cool. The problem is, if you are cool you don't have to try.
What charm the original possessed was provided by the rapport of Sinatra and his pals and is not something that can be manufactured simply by throwing together a number of big names. With eleven members of Danny Ocean's band of misfits to become acquainted with, too much time is spent on introductions and too little spent on establishing any kind of camaraderie. Since the two versions share very little other than the title, they might have been better served by eliminating a few of the peripheral characters and renaming it Ocean's Six.
We first meet the smooth and relaxed Danny Ocean (George Clooney) as he is about to be released from prison. His incarceration was the result of a self-destructive streak following his wife's departure. Given that his wife is the smart and sultry Tess (Julia Roberts), his lapse is, perhaps, understandable. With his first breath of liberty he heads for the gaming tables of Atlantic City and immediately begins assembling a team capable of pulling off his audacious plan to rob three of Las Vegas' biggest casinos of the small matter of $150 million.
One of his first recruits is his old buddy Rusty (Brad Pitt). Of the others, Elliott Gould is notable as the flamboyant Reuben Tishkoff, who bankrolls the job in a gesture of revenge against the casino's owner, the restrained but ruthless Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) who had muscled him out of Vegas. Gould has the film's best line when offering his reason to join Ocean. "I owe you from the thing with the guy and the place." Matt Damon adopts the subtle approach as the prestidigitator Linus while Carl Reiner goes the other route as the ganef Saul Bloom, lured out of retirement to provide his impersonation skills. One performance that defies explanation and belief, however, is the normally excellent Don Cheadle. For reasons best known to himself and screenwriter Ted Griffin, he plays his role of the team's electrical expert Basher with a cor-blimey guvnor cockney accent that brings back memories of Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. One plausible explanation is that Cheadle conceived it as an extended audition piece to capture the eye of Guy Ritchie. But neither Cheadle's performance or Ocean's Eleven has the wit or energy of Lock, Stock.
It turns out Danny's motives for the robbery are not wholly financial. His ex is now with Benedict. It's a situation that threatens to sabotage the job, but with such high rewards come risks. The essence of a good caper movie is a good caper, but despite some nice touches, mostly involving the enviable elasticity of Yen (Shaobo Qin), the robbery itself lacks any real suspense or invention. It all becomes rather boring and predictable. Surprisingly, given the talents of director and cast, it's an indictment that also applies to Ocean's Eleven.
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