Talk about a fun movie! Okay, I will. I really enjoyed this film--but then, I always love a good heist flick. This film's got it all: cute guys in nice suits, snappy dialogue, double crossing, a villain you can't wait to get spanked, a preposterous scheme that would never work in real life, countless implausibilities, and of course, high-tech gadgetry--and although I didn't know what most of those gadgets were for, but I'm glad someone in the movie did.
The setup: Daniel Ocean (George Clooney), just released from prison, wants to rob the three biggest casinos in Las Vegas, The Bellagio, the MGM Grand, and the Mirage. They're owned and run by Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia, in one of those roles that only Andy Garcia could play), a brilliant, tough-as-nails man who runs like a "machine," as one character puts it. (He also wears mandarin-collared shirts and kimonos, but that's another story.) The motive: Benedict also happens to be dating Ocean's ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts). The plan: Daniel rounds up ten associates, including an old friend, Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), to help him breach the casino's underground vault, which contains over $150 million dollars. Each one serves a purpose in the job e.g. The Grease Man, The Inside Man, The Basher. (Hey, that's my job to figure out all those clichés.)
The rest of the film is about the execution of the heist, and it's incredibly entertaining. A good heist film is about control: the casino owner starts out in complete control, and the Ocean's 11 are there to slowly rob him of it--moreso that than the money. Okay, not quite. But Soderbergh really keeps his cards to himself--every time you think the gig is up, it isn't. I'm a very non-reactionary person by nature, but the scene where Yen, the Chinese gymnast, is inside the vault and goes for his big jump had my heart pounding, literally. And I yelped. You'll see what I mean.
While the romantic triangle between Daniel Ocean, Tess, and Benedict was a little forced, I've got to give respect to Julia Roberts for holding her own against the guys in this movie. Not just for being a part of the boys' club, but for actually having a decent position in it. She really is The Wild Card, as they call her in the ads.
Watch also for a great scene early on in the film where Brad Pitt teaches a bunch of young television stars (Topher Grace, Shane West, Barry Watson, Holly Marie Combs, and Joshua Jackson), playing themselves, to play poker. According to the DVD commentary, most of that scene was ad-libbed. This looks like it would have been a fun set to be on.
It's fun to root for the bad guys sometimes. When they're as charismatic as Clooney and Pitt, you may well sit back and enjoy the ride. As clichéd as that sounds, that's the truth--no bluffing.
-reviewed by the ladybug, May 19, 2002
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