Ocean’s 11 is a remake of Ocean’s Eleven (1960), with George Clooney playing Danny Ocean rather than Frank Sinatra. If you didn’t already know, George Clooney is cooler than you are. He’s got the women. He’s got the money. And ever since he left his ER scrubs in the dust a few years ago, Clooney has gone from strength to strength – Ocean’s 11 is yet another winner. When the film begins, Danny (played by George Clooney) is discharged from a New Jersey State Prison with two goals in mind; to pull the biggest robbery ever and to regain the affections of his estranged wife Tess (played by Julia Roberts).
To aid him in his plan, Ocean gathers ten other accomplices. Rusty Roberts (Pitt) is master card player, now reduced to teaching spoiled young TV actors how to play poker. Linus Caldwell (Damon) is a master pickpocket, quick and smooth with the moves but lacking in the quick-thinking department. Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle) is a munitions expert with a thick Cockney accent. Rueben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould) is a Vegas insider with a personal axe to grind against Benedict.
Also helping out are auto mechanics Virgil and Turk Malloy (Casey Affleck and Scott Caan), professional card dealer Frank Catton (Bernie Mac), retired gambler Saul Bloom (Carl Reiner), computer surveillance expert Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison), and a Chinese acrobat named Yen (Shaobo Qin). Their plan is simple; to penetrate the safe at the Bellagio Hotel and steal $160 million. The location of this stunning film is Las Vegas and the target a highly protected vault where three of the cities largest casinos store their takings.
A big fight is to be stage between Tyson and Lennox Lewis and the massive crowd will have the vault stuffed with $160 million… throughout this superb film we are given a guided tour of Vegas, America’s most exciting city. We see the strip in all its gambling glory, blackjack and poker tables, strip joints and pole dancers, fast cars, fancy restaurants and fantastically grand villa homes. Director Steven Soderburgh ensures we see Vegas at is best; the bright lights and funky music adding just about the right amount of pizzazz.
Mimicking the flow of the film, the soundtrack to Ocean’s 11 plays without breaks, the only exception is the opening scene in the prison – which is understandably quiet to allow us to realise the dull drudgery of the prison. This fantastic soundtrack, cleverly chosen by David Holmes, has each track move seamlessly from one into the next. However, the music is hard to categorise; it’s got some jazz, but also a bit of trip-hop with a few Vegas songs tossed in for added flavour, including some Elvis (‘A Little Less Conversation’), Perry Como (‘Papa Loves Mambo’), and even a little Quincy Jones (‘Blues in the Night’)
As I said in the beginning, Ocean’s 11 has a very high cool star. It is a cool film, a good mix of actors being led by a director who is known for taking chances and being innovative. In a summer of big budget films which have been total let downs, Ocean’s 11 shines. This one is proof that ‘big’ movies can also be stylish and sophisticated while being immensely entertaining.
