Last week’s review was about a truly original movie that wasn’t based on anything prior. Well, the good times couldn’t last forever, with this week’s look at the 2001 remake of “Ocean’s Eleven” (directed by Steven Soderbergh).
The original “Ocean’s Eleven” (1960, directed by Lewis Milestone) was really an excuse for Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack to take a vacation down in Las Vegas. But fortunately, it does seem the remake was made to be an actual film, and not just a tax write-off.
The film is about Danny Ocean (played by George Clooney), one of the world’s best thieves who’s recently been released from prison, deciding to rob three Las Vegas casinos all owned by a man named Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) in one night.
In order to pull off this monumental task he recruits 10 of the best con men, crooks, and thieves in the business.
These 10 include: Rusty (Brad Pitt), Danny’s partner in crime; Frank Catton (played by the late Bernie Mac), a con man and the man on the inside of the casino; Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould), the financier of the operation; Virgil (Casey Affleck) and Turk Mallory (Scott Caan), brothers who are both expert mechanics; Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison), electronics and surveillance expert; Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle), explosives expert; Yen (Qin Shaobo), an acrobat and grease man; Saul Bloom (played by the late Carl Reiner), an elderly con man; and Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon), an up-and-coming thief and pickpocket.
What really helps make this film great is the chemistry that simply oozes from the cast, whether it’s Danny and Rusty always being on the same wavelength or the Mallory brothers constantly getting on each other’s nerves. The way the cast works off each other really helps make everyone memorable.
Something that helps everyone stand out is that every thief has a role that none of the other characters can do, making sure that even if the audience doesn’t remember their names they at least know who they are and the role they play in the film.
It also helps that the movie is pretty funny (it does have Bernie Mac, after all), whether it’s the cast’s funny quips with each other or background jokes that you’ll miss if you blink.
The heist itself is well done and tense. The film cleverly sets up the stakes by showing just how secure the casino vault is and setting up that Terry Benedict tends to make the lives of anyone who robs him wish they were dead, along with anyone they know.
The script also cleverly shows the audience just enough of the planning that they know what’s going on, but not so much that it can’t pull out some fun twists.
The final pro worth mentioning is the film’s score. It’s hard to describe, but listening to it gives off this very smooth yet mischievous vibe that compliments what the characters give off, because while they are thieves they still ooze this very handsome, suave, and always-in-control vibe.
If there’s one flaw this movie has, it is that there are some parts that haven’t aged the best. More specifically there are celebrity cameos of people who were famous at the time, but now it’s doubtful a younger audience member would know who they are.
“Ocean’s Eleven” managed to take what could have been an excuse to vacation and turn it into a fun heist film with likable, distinct characters and clever, witty dialogue.