The Ocean's getting more shallow, but it's still fun
Written: Jun 17 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Wonderful cast, some funny jokes
Cons: Completely unbelievable, some weak acting, Ellen Barkin
The Bottom Line: It makes no sense, but Ocean's Thirteen is fun. And that's why you go, isn't it?
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| hist's Full Review: Ocean's Thirteen |
We finally got to see Ocean's Thirteen the other night, a week after checking out the DVD of Ocean's Eleven and really enjoying it. It's a good thing that we did watch the original movie, though, as this movie certainly didn't stop and introduce the characters much. Yes, it would have been possible to figure everything out by the end of the movie, but by then you'd have to watch it again. Ocean's Thirteen is not very friendly to those not having seen at least the first one. Add to that an even more outlandish plot, and the only thing that makes this movie watchable is the wonderful cast. Thankfully, they're good enough that I would still recommend this movie.
Greedy casino owner Willy Bank (Al Pacino) cuts fellow casino owner Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) out of the deal of a lifetime, a lavish casino that will bring in millions. Tishkoff has a heart attack, and this brings in Danny Ocean (George Clooney), one of Reuben's best friends, who plans to get revenge on Bank by making him lost half a million dollars the first night. To do that, he'll need the rest of his regular crew, all of whom owe Reuben a lot. They're going to have to rig every game in the casino, and they have to do it in only a few weeks. Bank's casino has a new, artificially intelligent security system that they're also going to have to break through, but they need some sort of natural disaster for that. Good thing there's an earth tunneler available on Ebay. The scheme gets more and more complicated when they have to bring in casino boss (and former adversary) Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) to help finance some of this.
Earth-movers? Super-intelligent security systems? Yes, Ocean's Thirteen has a far-out plot, even more so because a large part of it goes off completely as planned (with one exception, a hilarious bit where Bank is about to get pictures of all the guys involved in the plot if his computer system isn't hacked and the pictures altered very quickly). The guys are throwing out money left and right, infiltrating the factories that produce the equipment just so that they can alter the ones specifically going to Bank's casino (such as the dice manufacturer for craps).
Eternal idiots Virgil and Turk Malloy (Casey Affleck and Scott Caan) incite a workers' rebellion in the Mexican dice factory, despite the fact that it could completely destroy the entire plan, and then Ocean's group is able to solve the problem with one phone call? I could go on and on, but I won't. Suffice it to say that the plot makes no sense whatsoever, except enough internal sense that you can actually follow along, disbelieving all the while.
While your eyes may roll out of their head while watching this movie, you will enjoy the stellar cast. Not all of them have much to do (Don Cheadle is criminally wasted), but you'll enjoy their interacting. The jokes are even better than in the first movie, including an extremely funny bit with the Oprah Winfrey show that also ties into the ending in a guffaw-inducing twist. Clooney and Pitt have star presence in this movie as well, with some comic turns that must be seen to be believed (not to mention that whoever thought of making Pitt's character's cell phone ring be Human League's "Don't You Want Me Baby" must get a gold star).
New characters Bank and his assistant Abigail Sponder (Ellen Barkin) are pretty good as well, though not wonderful. Pacino chews the scenery with gusto, but in this movie that's ok. It adds to the fun. Barkin is looking her age, and while I'd never say that an older woman can't play a super-sexy vixen, she definitely doesn't look the part in this movie. The scenes between her and Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) made me cringe most of the time. It doesn't help that she overacts the effects of a pheromone drug to an extreme degree.
The cinematography is once again very good in Ocean's Thirteen. Steven Soderbergh makes Vegas look as gorgeous as ever, and the insertion of Bank's huge casino into the Strip is pretty seamless. There are also some effective camera shots that add to either the tension or the humor (such as the scene in many of the trailers where Garcia is looking in a mirror and, when he moves to the side, Clooney rolls his eyes in exasperation). This movie is shot very well, which just adds to the quality.
Unfortunately, nothing can save it from the outlandish plot. My suspension of disbelief was shattered very early in this movie, and it never recovered. Too many things made no logical sense, and others were wasted for no reason other than to add length to the movie. One of the side stories is that Bank has won numerous "Five Diamond Casino" awards and there's going to be a judge staying at the casino this time as well. Bank buys his wife a five-diamond necklace every time he wins one. So the guys manage to infiltrate this as well, having Carl Reiner's character masquerade as the judge. We also see the poor real judge, and they make his visit miserable. We see Reiner's pay-off, and the diamonds play an important role in the rest of the scam, but we never see the real guy's pay-off and his torment gets more and more outlandish with every scene. Most of it isn't that funny and it detracts from the rest of the movie. If you're going to show us the whole thing, then at least have some sort of confrontation at the end, and not the lame scene we got instead.
Still, Ocean's Thirteen was a fun movie despite all that. Don't even bother bringing your brain, though, as it will just go to sleep very early and it might as well stay home in a comfortable bed. I did greatly enjoy it, and would certainly recommend it at a reduced price, or when the DVD comes out. Since the movies are getting more and more outlandish, however, I hope that this is the last one.
Other Reviews
Ocean's Eleven
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Funny Movie
Worst Part of this Film: Plot
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Member: David Roy
Location: Vancouver, BC
Reviews written: 727
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