Hot Damn! If you’ve read enough of me to trust my reviews implicitly, stop reading and go see OCEAN’S 11 now!
OK. Now that the dust has cleared from that stampede, let me tell you about Steven Soderbergh’s latest effort, a star-studded ensemble film loosely based on
1960’s OCEAN’S 11, the original ratpack film starring Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., etc. For Soderbergh fans, this will feel like a continuation of the last
Soderbergh-Clooney pairing, OUT OF SIGHT, albeit with competent criminals. That means a funny, character-driven caper flick with heart. If that sounds like a
contradiction in terms, it’s because it usually is. The caper genre still hasn’t come back from its heyday in the ’60s and ’70s, so it still holds a lot of associations
with bad acting, terrifically twisted plots with holes big enough to drive tanks through, and lots of fun for those willing to overlook such trifles.
Tolerance for bad capers has long since ebbed, and OCEAN’S 11 takes the crown in the new crop of high-value capers, overshadowing the flawed JACKIE
BROWN and the aforementioned OUT OF SIGHT by giving us what we really want: a team movie where every team member is not only portrayed well by the
actors, but has qualities that make him real for the audience. (SNATCH disqualifies itself by putting the caper at the beginning of the film and spending the rest of
the time trying to clean it up. Great movie, subtly different genre.)
OCEAN’S 11 could easily have been a Clooney-Pitt buddy picture, with everyone else a cardboard cut-out for them to play off of. It worked for LETHAL
WEAPON, more than once, and audiences apparently loved it. Instead, Danny Ocean leads without dominating, charms without annoying (except for
Clooney-haters, who might as well stay home for this one), and dreams big enough dreams that we end up cheering for the upscale criminal who steals from Terry
Benedict (Garcia), the corporate criminal everybody hates because “The House always wins” in casinos, not to mention he’s dating Ocean’s ex-wife Tess
(Roberts).
Rusty Ryan (Pitt), on the other hand, has almost no character at all. The devil-may-care detail man, an odd combination from the start, Ryan is the reason to
Ocean’s rhyme, and Pitt pulls off a quiet, steady performance that provides the calm center in the storm of characters he recruits for the job.
The remaining nine all do an excellent job, but kudos go to Cheadle as Basher the munitions expert, who pulls off a convincing British accent with SNATCH-like
dialogue that had me rolling. Watching semi-retired actor/director Carl Reiner play semi-retired con man Saul Bloom is a treat, and Matt Damon’s willingness to
take on the small role of Linus, the ambitious young pickpocket, and do it so well is a joy to behold. As for the rest, they each get a moment when both the
character and the actor get to shine.
Beyond the eleven, Benedict the ruthless casino owner could easily have been overplayed by Garcia, but at those moments when his anger boils to SCARFACE
levels, he maintains rigid control, taking what could have been a raving maniac to the deeper evil of heartless businessman. In contrast to the men, Tess’s main job
is to stand around and look glamorous for most of the film, be confused in the middle, and suddenly find emotions at the end. While I see what Soderbergh was
going for, showing that Tess isn’t fully alive while dating Benedict, I found her unsympathetic in the role and wouldn’t have cared for her at all if not for Ocean’s
emotions.
Does the big caper work on film? Yes it does. Soderbergh shows or tells us just enough that we’re in on most of the scam, while obscuring enough details to keep
us surprised and on our toes. Nothing beats the fun of watching the pieces fall into place, and OCEAN’S 11 takes full advantage of the modern casino’s elaborate
security systems to show us the action from the point of view of several cameras. Soderbergh also acted as cinematographer on this film, as he did on TRAFFIC,
so his command of his vision was complete. To him goes all of the glory, though I doubt he’ll get an Oscar again—not serious enough to make the Academy
happy.
Finally, although the action is fast and furious, including one fabulous contraption that’s straight out of Warner Bros.’ cartoon division, the gunplay and bloodshed is
minimal. The Eleven are thieves, not killers, and it’s nice to see the distinction play itself out. So, now you know. See OCEAN’S 11 and get your friends and
relatives to come, too. We need to reward the film industry when it gives us something this good, so they know they should do it again … and again … and again.
—Reed Oliver
While we would never encourage anyone to destroy a video... 
