Oceans 11 Review
by Tim Wick
A film with this kind of star power could only be set in Las Vegas. The
glow of the lights on the strip is about the only thing that is brighter
than the combined star power of Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Julia
Roberts, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia and Carl Reiner (to name a few). When you
consider the film is directed by Oscar winner Stephen Soderburg (Traffic),
you practically have to wear shades to walk into the theatre.
The same was true of the original Oceans 11, which starred Frank Sinatra
and his Rat Pack. The film is legendary not so much for it's quality as for
the stories of how Frank, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and the rest would
film the movie during the day and then perform on the strip in the evening.
Though I've not seen the original (yet), rumor has it that it's nothing
special.
Well the remake is truly something special. Soderburg managed to pull some
great performances from some actors who could easily have been around for
little more than the ego trip.
The basic story is a heist story. If you aren't familiar with the
storyline, a shockingly large number of films have been released in the last
12 months to help you out. Go check out Snatch, Sexy Beast, The
Score, Bandits, The Heist, or even 3000 Miles to Graceland if you
doubt me. The basic storyline was probably never better than it was in The
Sting, but even if one can only hope to come second to that wonderful film,
there are thousands of movie goers eager to watch you try.
In Heist films - at least in good heist films - most of your attention is
not diverted by something as insignificant as the characters. We have to
care about the players just enough for them to succeed. We have to at least
be ambivalent about the victim or we are going to be hoping they don't get
robbed. The plan needs to be elaborate enough to for us to be constantly
wondering how they are going to get through the next obstacle in their path.
Great heist films go a step further and actually bother to develop it's
characters into something more than one dimensional figures. Ocean's 11
teeters on that brink between good and great because it really does work on
getting you involved in it's characters. Problem is there are just too many
of them so you lose focus. Certainly you are emotionally invested in ring
leader Danny Ocean (Clooney). A few other members of his crew have enough
screen time to make you care. Many are simply cogs in an elaborate wheel.
I don't have the slightest clue how one would have been able to adequately
develop all eleven members of Oceans gang, there was probably no way.
Perhaps my criticism is unfair or perhaps the point is there is no way a
film like this can be GREAT because the inherent complexity of the scheme
these characters are trying to pull off means there are too many characters
to adequately develop.
But Really Good, while not GREAT, is nothing to be upset about. The banter
between Clooney and his right hand man (Brad Pitt) is some of the most
enjoyable verbal exchanges I've seen in the theatre this year. Clooney and
Pitt seem almost giddy as they work with each other. Actually, Clooney has
shown remarkable rapport with most of his co-leads in his recent spate of
good to great films (this one, O Brother Where Art Thou, Three Kings).
He is one of those actors you can't help but want to watch because the
camera likes him - and he likes the camera.
The camera itself is deftly wielded by Soderburg who has long been a style
AND substance director. The slick glitziness of Las Vegas is plastered all
over this film. The seeming shallowness of many scenes is not poor
direction but reflection of the world being portrayed. He is a poker player
and we are his opponents. He wants us to bet big before he shows his hand.
When the action comes, it comes faster and faster and we have to take care
not to blink or we'll miss something.
Ocean's 11 is pure fun. A film like this embraces it's star power, it's
familiar theme and it's audience and gives them all a big squeeze. A film
like this pretty much says "aren't movies cool?" They are.
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