Once again, Ocean’s gang proves they can outsmart anyone and still look cool at the same time. While their membership count is gradually increasing, the group remains a tightly-knit team. Simply put, Ocean’s Thirteen—and all the other Ocean films for that matter—is fun to watch.
It genuinely looks like the cast is having a great time while shooting this film. These are great main characters and supporting characters that complement each other. Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) obviously work well together, playing close friends from the get-go while also playing counselors for the other person’s love life. And now it seems Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) is slowly clinging to them as a potential leader of the gang after Danny and Rusty retire. The Malloy brothers (Casey Affleck and Scott Caan) are always a hoot to watch as the hapless pair whose roles are dependent on causing disputes. Their sibling rivalry is amusingly realistic especially in Ocean’s Eleven (2001).
But now we have two new characters, or should I say antagonists?: Willie Bank (Al Pacino) and Abigail Sponder (Ellen Barkin). Willie, a ruthless casino owner, betrays Ocean member Reuben (Elliot Gould) out of a hotel partnership and ultimately causes him to have a heart attack. All the Ocean members come to help Reuben in his plight and unanimously decide to seek revenge on Willie after he refuses to show no remorse. Six months later, Willie’s extravagant Vegas hotel opens and the suave con men carry out an elaborate plan to sabotage the success of the hotel.
The excessive amount of damage they cause is horrendous, but still triumphant in terms of getting even on behalf of their senior friend Reuben. The team plants toxic materials in the room of an undercover hotel critic who will determine if Willie’s new hotel will earn a five-diamond rating. Linus appoints himself to seduce Willie’s right-hand assistant Abigail in order to steal the diamonds that Willie’s already accumulated from receiving a five-diamond rating at his previous hotels. Abigail is the only female role in the film since Tess (Julia Roberts) and Isabel (Catherine Zeta-Jones) are left back at home for this particular heist. Linus amusingly refers to Abigail as a “cougar,” which as a woman I am unable to fully comprehend, but I’m sure the men will understand its implications.
In addition, the Ocean gang rigs every game in Willie’s new casino to lose money on its opening night. They accomplish this by creating a few artificial earthquakes to temporarily shut down Willie’s security system. But like the previous films, Ocean’s Thirteen is another elaborate and complex story more for amusement than for suspense.
Everyone knows that Ocean’s Thirteen will come out victorious, but the ride to the finish line is what their audience takes pleasure in. We watch Linus amateurishly seduce Abigail with the help of the gilroy, another slang word used by the group. He fumbles horribly, but still effectively tricks Abigail into falling for him.
The Ocean films create this nostalgic feel to the picture in celebration of the Rat Pack original Ocean’s Eleven (1960) starring Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. The colorful opening credits establish this old-school coolness and then we are reacquainted with the casual glitz of Danny Ocean and Rusty Ryan. But this isn’t the only reference Ocean’s Thirteen makes to earlier films.
This time it also references scenes from The Godfather films in commemoration of Andy Garcia and Al Pacino’s participation in Ocean’s third installment. When Reuben finally awakens he says to Danny and Rusty, “I hear cars coming and going, I hear Linus crying. I think you should tell me what everyone seems to know.” This is a variation on lines spoken by Don Corleone in The Godfather (1972).
Director Steven Soderbergh definitely put together a perfect cast for this updated recreation of Ocean’s Eleven (1960). The dialogue is still snappy, the picture is colorful and the plots are extravagant and stylish as always.
Kristin’s Grade: A-
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Screenwriters: Brian Koppelman and David Levien
Based on: Ocean’s Eleven (1960)
Genre: Comedy / Crime / Drama
Running Time: 113 minutes
Rated: PG-13 (for brief sensuality)
