Ocean's Eleven

Ok, so maybe the original 1960s film was just an excuse for Frank and his buddies to hang out and make some money out of it, but it was still a smash hit. Lets face it, if they had all just been sitting there doing nothing it would still have been a highly successful film. People would have paid to see them organise their sock draws. However, this time around with a brand new script and an immensely prosperous cast and crew we have ended up with a film ten times better than the original.

In the case of this adaption we are safe in the knowledge that the actors at least wanted to be there and that they all had fun making it. Firstly because of the fact that they all took pay cuts so that it could happen and secondly because it comes across on screen. The easy friendship between Clooney, Pitt, Roberts et al shines throughout the film and seems to draw the audience in to their inner circle. We know they had a good time filming it just as we are having a good time watching it.

It is easy to say that this is THE coolest film of the year. From the phenomenal script and direction from Steven Soderbergh to the impeccable easy going performances of the 'stars' - yes every single one of them! With so many big names you would expect some rivalry yet there is no scene hogging in sight. It is clear to see that they are all willing to share the limelight. The fact is that there is no main character or personality. They are all in it together - reflecting the sense of the film in real life. This is the first concept the audience sees from the poster. The names are printed in alphabetical order. Nobody is given priority. Clooney plays Danny Ocean with the same self - confidence, composure and unmistakable coll that hasn't been seen since Sinatra himself. All the other characters are brand new, that is except for the character of Tess Ocean (Julia Roberts). In the 60s original Tess, played by Angie Dickinson, is Ocean's defender (to some extent). However, Roberts' re-vamped character is more self assured and unmoved by Ocean's charm. Rusty (Pitt) is rarely seen without snack in hand and the suit are certainly something to look at. He may be a new character but he is still played in the carefree manner typical of the Rat Pack.

It is refreshing to sit and watch a film such as this and not have to suffer the usual barrage of swearing and violence. The lack of such profanities only increases its wide appeal. It just goes to show that it can be done and that films do not neccessarily need it.

Ocean's Eleven is not your typical heist movie. To start with there are eleven people working together all with specific, indispensable jobs to do. Yet the mood is still light hearted which makes it even more compelling to watch. The inspired direction and flowing script assure that there is never a dull moment and that every scene is important, as is every character. There are also a couple of cameo appearances from some other big names to look out for.

Admittedly there is a bad side as there is in every film. In this instance it is Don Cheadles's cockney accent. Nice try but not quite right!

This is a film that will keep you fascinated the entire time you are watching. It does not conform to the conventional values of the genre that we have come to expect. The twists and turns guarantee that by the end you will be sitting there thinking 'that was really clever'. Perhaps it isn't quite what you would expect from such a star studded cast and an Oscar winning director. But that is why it is so much better than the archetypal Hollywood blockbusters that we have come to expect.

This is no run of the mill film. It was not about money or self promotion. It was about having fun and enjoying the job. Ocean's Eleven is not a film that will be forgotten seconds after you have seen it. It will live forever as the epitome of cool for years to come.

Ocean's Eleven is a very easy-going and purely fun movie to watch. The film is loaded with celebrities such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, and Matt Damon. Ocean's Eleven is very "loosely" based on the original Ocean's Eleven starring Frank Sinatra. Steven Soderbergh did a fabulous job directing this movie and having all the characters to connect to Danny Oceans group of 11. The plan is to steal 160$ million dollars from three Las Vegas Casino's. Sounds wacky? The planning time took up most of the movie, and you almost believe that it could be done after you see this. Andy Garcia did a fabulous job playing Terry Benedict, the owner of the Casino's where Ocean (Clooney) plans to rob. Brad Pitt plays and interesting role as Danny Ocean's sidekick. The plot flows quickly and some parts leave you laughing on the floor. Each one of the eleven characters had its own story behind them and it is seen when Rusty Ryan (Pitt) and Danny Ocean (Clooney) first go to recruit them to plan this heist. I have to say Julia Roberts didn't have a flexible character but nonetheless her presence in this film as Tess, Danny Ocean's ex-wife, is apparent. Ocean's 12 is due out in December with the same old cast and it promises to be a hit. This movie is one of my favorites because the premise is great and the actors are great.

**** out of *****

There is just something about this movie that makes it so great. There's nothing truly outstanding about any one aspect of the movie; nothing that will blow you away. However, everything is put together perfectly.

Personally, I have a theory that any movie that absolutely blows you away the first time you see it, will lose its entertainment value very quickly. Not necessarily because the movie was not good, but because it just seems to get old too fast. This is NOT one of those movies.

This is the kind of movie that will be enjoyed countless times. The dialogue is slick, and always to the point. There are few (if any) overdone scenes and/or lines that tend to become annoying over time.

This movie flows exceptionally well. Personally, I couldn't quite figure out why until I watched the "behind the scenes" footage on the DVD. I didn't really notice all of the work they put into using as few shots as possible. The extra features on the DVD really explain it all. Almost every scene uses considerably less shots than you would think it takes to convey all of the activity going on. The music punctuates the flow of the movie and the shots extremely well.

The cast is almost all big names. It's great to see actors like Pitt and Clooney and Damon come together in a movie and interact so well, without having to be the pretty boys or bad-ass heroes of the movie.

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.

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?