Ocean's Thirteen Review

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"Ocean's Thirteen" reviews

Movie

Ocean's Thirteen

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-06-08 23:48:18

Rating

3/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

Third time's a charm. Ocean's Thirteen outshines the second installment, offering that certain breezy fun the original provided. Those cutie pies just work better in Vegas.

Story

In this third installment, however, the boys aren't in the game for the business. No, this time it's personal. When one of their own, the irascible Reuben (Elliott Gould), suffers a heart attack after being double-crossed by malevolent hotel mogul Willie Bank (Al Pacino), Danny (George Clooney), Rusty (Brad Pitt), Linus (Matt Damon) and the rest of the gang decide to hit Bank where it hurts. They orchestrate it so not only will they ruin the hotelier financially by turning the tables on the precept that the house always wins, but also hurt Bank's pride by giving his big new Las Vegas hotel a bad rating. The Ocean crew even manages to rope in their old nemesis, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), on the scam since Benedict can't stand Bank or the monstrosity he has built on the Strip. The plan is a bit convoluted and seemingly damn near impossible, but the moral of the story is this: Mess with an Ocean, you get pummeled by the waves.

Acting

What has always made the Ocean's installments work is the freewheeling spirit and good-ol'-boy camaraderie from its eye-candy cast. Even though they are a bit more somber this time around--you know, worried about Reuben and all--the actors are still clearly enjoying themselves. Clooney and Pitt continue to be the suave ringleaders, finishing each other's sentences and commiserating over the problems they are having with their respective spouses/girlfriends--which, in turn, explains why Tess (Julia Roberts) and Isabel (Catherine Zeta-Jones) aren't in the movie. Basically, this "isn't their fight," and they aren't needed. Actually, it's Damon's Linus who gets a love interest--sort of. The usually green Linus gets a chance to prove his mettle by donning a disguise (a big fake nose, to be exact) and wooing Bank's second-in-command, the tough-as-nails Abigail Sponder, as part of the plan. She's played winningly by Ellen Barkin, who fits right into this gentleman's club. All the others are also in top form, proving they could keep making these movies and we'd never get tired of watching them play.

Direction

At this point in the Ocean's franchise, director Steven Soderbergh's work is pretty much done for him, which is a good or bad thing depending on your perspective. The good part (and I've said this before) is, Soderbergh definitely has one of the keenest eyes in the business and with Ocean's Thirteen, he makes you feel like you're coming home after spending the last movie floundering abroad. The guys are more at ease and the surroundings are comfortably familiar, while the massive, complicated, suspend-your-disbelief undertaking crackles and zings as it's being put into motion. Soderbergh also uses the split-screen technique to great effect. The bad thing is, we've seen it all before. Ocean's Thirteen doesn't really offer anything particularly new as far as what we've come to expect, and there are a few times Soderbergh seems to be phoning it in. But honestly, is there anything wrong with that? Not really. Not with this great cast that is aging and gelling like fine wine, bringing Sin City to its knees.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.

Movie

Ocean's Thirteen

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-06-07 00:00:00

Provider

MyMovies

Review

If, like right-thinking people everywhere, you were disappointed by "Ocean's 12", then you can relax, because the good news is that the threequel is a much better film than the sequel. However, it's still not much more than an average heist movie with a starry cast, some flashy camerawork and a couple of good gags. The plot is very much of the back-to-basics variety: Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) gets double-crossed by his business partner Willy Bank (Al "Shouty Al" Pacino) and has a heart attack that puts him in hospital. Danny Ocean (George Clooney) can't let this stand, obviously, so he reunites his friends (Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and all the rest of them) and they come up with an elaborate revenge plan that involves ruining the opening night of Bank's latest flashy Vegas casino, imaginatively named The Bank.

As with the previous films, the cast are a lot of fun to watch and much of the film's enjoyment basically boils down to watching these guys execute their perfect heist. There's not much room for individual character development but at least everyone gets a comedy moment or two, although some are more successful than others - for example, Eddie Izzard gets one of the best lines during his cameo appearance and Casey Affleck's bizarre contribution to the plot (complete with comedy moustache) is extremely amusing. There's also a good gag about Ocean's TV-viewing habits and Matt Damon has a lot of fun with his comedy nose.

That said, Pacino is a bit of a disappointment (he isn't nearly as shouty as you'd expect) and there's no real dramatic tension in the film at all. Still, it's beautifully shot, the cast are great and it's as enjoyable as the first film, even if it's not quite as funny. Worth seeing.

Movie

Ocean's Thirteen

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-06-01 13:03:05

Provider

Review

Coolly defying global critics as nonchalantly as they did Andy Garcia's crooked casino owner, George Clooney's bank-robbing buccaneers are back for a third instalment of the franchise. And why not? Steven Soderbergh and his merry men probably figure if they can make money off a film as poor and conceited as Ocean's Twelve... well, you know what they say about no one ever losing a buck by underestimating the American public.

So George is back with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and new old head on the block Al Pacino, who replaces Garcia as their chief antagonist. Pacino is Willy Bank, a notoriously unscrupulous Vegas kingpin who swindles Danny Ocean's friend Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) out of his share of their brand new hotel casino. So Ocean, Rusty Ryan (Pitt) and the rest set out to get his money back and more.

To do so they enlist the help of former adversary Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), who insists they steal Bank's diamonds into the bargain. The plot is fiendishly complicated, with the array of high-tech gadgetry being possibly the biggest star of the film. Simulated earthquakes, magnetic dice, hidden cameras - but none are as much fun as watching Carl Reiner’s Sal Bloom posing as an inspector (Bank is obsessed with earning the prestigious Five Diamonds awards for casino complexes) being treated like royalty while the real evaluator suffers a series of mishaps and downright ignorance that even Basil Fawlty would blush at.

The wisecracking interplay and constant one-upmanship stops just the right side of the arrogance that so marred the second in the series, making Thirteen the equal of, if not superior to, Eleven.