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I imagine that followers of the legend of the Clan would find it unforgivable that George Clooney remade the ultimate Rat Pack film Ocean's 11. But I think even Frank, Dean, and Sammy would be happy with what Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh did with it. It's nothing less than a crackerjack caper film with a few stars to gaze at also.

The point in the original is that this was a film almost made as a lark for the participants while the main players were appearing at the legendary Sands Resort in Las Vegas. These were old army ranger buddies who decide to put their training to use and heist five casinos.

Clooney and buddy Brad Pitt's film has them in the Frank and Dean roles and they're a much more professional outfit who are only doing one of them. But it's the one Andy Garcia owns and Clooney has a score to settle with him. He's taken Clooney's wife away played here ever so briefly by Julia Roberts. In the original Angie Dickinson had the part. And it was also a brief part.

Clooney and Pitt go out and recruit a crack team, some they know, some they don't. But it's a professional job and close run thing.

Garcia is in a part the equivalent of George Raft from the original. It was business for Raft and business for Cesar Romero the syndicate guy he hires to find them. But Garcia's a nasty character who settles his own accounts.

The film has got a whole lot of nice touches stylistically and cast is expensive and first rate. For those familiar with the original the irony of that ending is replaced by something completely different. More in keeping with George Clooney than Frank Sinatra.

Nevertheless I think the Chairman of the Board would like this Ocean's Eleven.

Steven Soderbergh's remake of `Ocean's Eleven' is a stylish heist picture featuring some of the brightest stars in moviemaking today. The cast includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and Matt Damon from the A-list, as well as such established veterans as Andy Garcia, Elliot Gould and Carl Reiner in there playing along with them. Coming right off the heels of two highly acclaimed, award-laden serious dramas (`Traffic' and `Erin Brockovich'), it's understandable that Soderbergh might have been in the mood for something a little lighter in tone right about now. Well, he has certainly found it with this property, which sails along smoothly like a well-oiled machine, with no angst-filled messages or heavy-handed themes to gum up the works.

Taking the basic premise from the original 1960 film (which featured a who's-who of Hollywood stars of its own day), Soderbergh has updated it to reflect the advanced technological realities of the 21st Century. In this film, recently paroled Daniel Ocean (Clooney) has decided to mastermind the robbing of not one but three major Las Vegas casinos all owned by the nefarious Terry Benedict (Garcia). The rub is that Benedict has also recently added Ocean's ex-wife, Tess (Roberts), to his list of assets, which gives Ocean additional incentive to take Benedict for everything he's got. One of the amazing things is that the filmmakers use an actual casino as their target (the Bellagio) rather than devising a fictional one for their story's purpose. One might think it could give certain audience members the wrong ideas. Be that as it may, the director does a fine job exploiting the Vegas setting, taking us right into the heart of casino operations.

A film like `Ocean's Eleven' stands or falls on the charisma of its stars, the intricacy of its plotting and the plausibility of its actions. Luckily for the audience, the film pretty much succeeds on all three counts. Scenarist Ted Griffin does a fine job gathering together the men who will participate in the heist, allowing each a moment or two to define his character and to become part of the team. The details of the plan itself are explained in very clear terms so that we rarely feel as if we are not able to follow the action. There is even an inspired use of `Clair de Lune' near the end of the picture to lend an air of romanticism to the accomplishment, for who would deny that such large-scale thievery has often carried with it a certain element of idealism and romance? After all, look how many books and films have featured robbers as heroes. It perhaps explains why Tess can go from being a principled, law-abiding citizen at the beginning of the film to being an accomplice in crime at the end, all for the love of a man – and we cheer her for it.

Unlike in Soderbergh's other films, we do not find hidden depths lurking beneath the shining handsome surface of this movie, and we certainly carry no nutritious food for thought away with us from this film as we did from the others. In fact, `Ocean's Eleven' is all ABOUT shining handsome surface and it makes no pretension of being about anything else. It's cinematic junk food of the highest order, but, then, since when has junk food not been satisfying?

A rarity--a remake that's better than the original. 11 men led by Danny Ocean (George Clooney) prepare to rob a vault linked to 3 casinos in Las Vegas. His partners in crime include Brad Pitt, Carl Reiner, Elliot Gould, Casey Affleck, Matt Damon and Scott Caan. Also, the casinos are owned by Tery Benedict (Andy Garcia) who is romancing Ocean's ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts). Fun, engrossing, just simply the most enjoyable film of 2001. It moves smoothly, the entire cast plays it cool and easy and Steven Soderbergh directs it with flair and intelligence. Yes, it's light; yes, it's a trifle but it's so FUN! I really loved this film. Affleck and Caan are hilarious as bickering brothers. My only complaint--Julia Roberts (the only woman in the cast) is shot very cruelly. She's beautiful so why does she look so bad? Aside from that this is a fun movie. Just sit back and enjoy.

George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Elliot Gould, Carl Reiner, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Shaobo Qin, Miguel Perez, and Livingston Dell make up "Ocean's Eleven," a 2001 film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film also stars Andy Garcia and Julia Roberts. This is a remake of the rat pack "Ocean's Eleven," which I've never seen so I can't make comparisons. I suspect that this version has more emphasis on plot and the older one has more emphasis on the pack.

The mastermind of a plot to rob Las Vegas' Bellaggio Hotel vault of $160 million is Danny Ocean, a very recent ex-con who had lots of time on his hands in prison to plan it. With the help of his buddy, Rusty Ryan (Pitt) he recruits 9 people who specialize in a particular expertise to carry out the elaborate heist. Problems come in when Ocean, obsessed with his ex-wife (Roberts), approaches her, to the annoyance of her present boyfriend, the owner of the hotel, Terry Benedict (Garcia). He "makes" Danny by sending out a bulletin with Danny's photo to the hotel staff, which puts him out of his own plot at the insistence of Rusty. But Danny isn't one to exit easily, in either marriage or robberies.

This is a fast-paced, tension-filled, exciting movie that's highly entertaining. The plot is completely improbable so you have to take it for what it is - fantastic fun. And you never know whether something is going wrong or if it's part of the plan. The chemistry between the actors, particularly Clooney and Pitt, is great, and there is some wonderful acting. Clooney is solid as Ocean, a passionate man of quiet determination; Damon is terrific as an insecure participant; Don Cheadle, sporting a Cockney accent, is hilarious as an explosives expert; Elliot Gould is outrageous as their financial backer; Carl Reiner is excellent as an older con man who can do accents. Just as they all contribute their different talents to the heist, they do so in this movie. This includes the acting in the smaller roles played by Bernie Mac et al - everyone is perfect. Andy Garcia is fabulous as Benedict - both elegant and scary, he whispers instead of shouts and stays in control for the most part. Megastar Roberts is wasted - she doesn't have much to do.Any actress could have done the role, but I guess the producers wanted an all-star cast.

Highly recommended for blockbuster entertainment value and star power. Just don't look for it to be realistic.

A remake of a rat pack film, this was a brave venture to take on, and thank you Steven Soderbergh for this valiant effort.

Retaining a good cast, Soderbergh has modified this movie to fit with the times, and he has helped create a very slick and stylish thriller.

Danny Ocean, wants to pull off the crime of the century, by ripping off three Casino's at the same time, while at the same time settling a score or two with the casino's owner. With the help of ten others, he might just do it. Or is he not quite as smart as he appears to be.

8/10

Recommended