Ocean's Eleven (trilogy)

Movie Review: Ocean's Eleven (trilogy) (?)

Ocean's Eleven
Year of Release: 2001
Country of Origin: USA, Australia
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts

Plot outline: Danny Ocean and his ten accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously (IMDb).


Ocean's Twelve
Year of Release: 2004
Country of Origin: USA, Australia
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Plot outline: Danny Ocean recruits one more team member so he can pull off three major European heists in this sequel to Ocean's Eleven (IMDb).

Ocean's Thirteen
Year of Release: 2007
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin

Plot outline: Danny Ocean rounds up the boys for a third heist, after casino owner Willy Bank double-crosses one of the original eleven, Reuben Tishkoff (IMDb).

I feel a little bit uneasy with movies that have too many central characters, let alone too many big stars. George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon ... they are all 'A-list' stars - which understandably come with big egoes, all in one set?! Would the story equally split the screen time among them all? Or would they outdo each other to get to the centre stage? Compared to the original Ocean's Eleven, the first instalment of Danny Ocean's heist thriller is, by means of technology, better presented. The story is a retelling of the original one with some makeover in the middle to increase the complexity of the targets to meet today's security standards and to intensify the suspense, and a different, rather disappointing, anti-climax ending which looks silly and unnecessary. The second instalment: Don't you hate to think that whatever Hollywood throws at us, we still watch them? Ocean's Twelve is one of them. The story is so lame, even worse ... the only people who have fun are themselves, not us the audience. It's pathetic! Learning from audience's antipathy toward this movie, the third instalment is unexpectedly better scripted, but not without some silliness. The nemesis from the previous two movies, Terry Benedict, joins and helps the team. What?! I suddenly realize that this is only a movie ... don't think too hard, it's only entertainment. Would we see Ocean's Fourteen in the near future? Who knows.

My judgement:
** out of 4 stars for "Ocean's Eleven" (2001)
* out of 4 stars for "Ocean's Twelve" (2004)
*1/2 out of 4 stars for "Ocean's Thirteen" (2007)

Ocean's Eleven
Year of Release: 1960
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Lewis Milestone
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Angie Dickinson

Plot outline: Eleven friends who know each other from World War II service plan to rob five of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas in one night (IMDb).

Compared to its remake, the heist in this original version of Ocean's Eleven looks pretty simple and straightforward, more like a stunt than a real robbery, with limited suspense. Nevertheless, The Rat Pack et al. give a fairly good entertainment. The story actually gets better toward the end and hits the high notes with a witty, twisted ending.

My judgement: ** out of 4 stars