OCEAN'S ELEVEN

By: ABBIE BERNSTEIN
Date: Friday, December 07, 2001

Once upon a time okay, in 1960 the original OCEAN'S ELEVEN was considered the epitome of cool because it featured the Rat Pack of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and friends. This reviewer never saw the earlier film, but reportedly this cool factor was its sole draw, as viewers both in the day and in retrospect felt it didn't hang together very well as a movie (and that the performers didn't seem tremendously convinced by what they were doing).

The first piece of good news about the new version, directed by Steven Soderbergh from a screenplay by Ted Griffin (like the original, from a story by George Clayton Johnson & Jack Golden Russell), works just fine. It's amiable, determinedly unpretentious and appears to exist for the purpose of playing with its riffs. The entire cast is on the same wavelength. The big names don't try to upstage each other and indeed gracefully stand back for a couple of show-stopping turns from the old pros in the group, along with an eye-widening display of acrobatic ability from cinematic newcomer Shaobo Qin. The only drawback if it can even be considered as such in this agreeable company is that the heist details are all so completely impossible and the tone so light that we don't feel much of the suspense that heist thrillers usually try to generate. However, we're entertained, and that's certainly the main intent here.

George Clooney

plays Danny Ocean, who we meet as he's appearing successfully before his parole board after four years in the joint. He emerges from prison and promptly travels from coast to coast, putting together a crew to pull off a massive robbery. It seems that three of the biggest hotels in Las Vegas the Bellagio, the Mirage and the MGM Grand all pour their money into the same underground vault, which will be even richer than usual on the night of a prizefight. All three hotels belong to Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), whose vindictiveness is legendary. It is therefore essential not only to get in and out of the vault in one piece with the loot, but also to do so unidentified. This would seem an unachievable feat, but Danny loves a challenge and, split evenly among seven colleagues, the take will come to seven figures each. Moreover, Benedict is the current boyfriend of Danny's ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts), a situation Danny is anxious to rectify - a personal motive that makes Danny's chief cohort Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) just plain anxious.

The romance is arguably the least successful angle of the film, as Roberts makes Tess so formidably pissed off that we see no hint of spark on her side of the pairing. The camaraderie between the guys is swell, though Clooney and Pitt are flexible and responsive to the rhythms all around them, loose without being lax. Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Scott Caan, Casey Affleck and an unbilled, English-accented Don Cheadle all contribute distinctive personas, while Qin's agility is something to write home about. Meanwhile, Elliott Gould is a blast as a fey financier who gets a delicious set-up speech (interspersed with action) about the three previous most successful heists in Vegas history. Carl Reiner gets a welcome tour de force as an old con man who looks frail but finally steps up to the plate in a big way to pull off a scam. Garcia, gracious and steely enough to be playing someone named Corleone, is the epitome of a worthy adversary.

The dialogue is consistently bouncy and amusing, with a steady string of natural-sounding quips. Soderbergh sets a steady, brisk pace, although he doesn't try to intensify it as the big event draws near he knows that we know what's going on and doesn't try to artificially inflate suspense. His view of Vegas is neither grubby nor bedazzled. He shows it to us through our heroes' eyes it's a snazzy place to work, but there's nothing here that should make us lose our focus.

Although it's not discussed, our law-breaking leads do not pack lead, except for show the film takes pains to show us that while they're outlaws, they aren't thugs nor a threat to anyone (except themselves, if Benedict tags them). We can accompany them on their exploits without even vicarious guilt. OCEAN'S ELEVEN comes off as deft, undemanding and cheerful the movie doesn't send itself up, but it twinkles with a confident light touch that leaves us feeling that we've been somewhere else for a little while and had a good time there.

OCEAN'S ELEVEN

Grade: B

Reviewed Format: Theatrical Release

Rated: PG-13 (some language and sexual content)

Stars: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Brat Pitt, Julia Roberts, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Elliott Gould, Bernie Mac, Carl Reiner, Don Cheadle

Writer: Ted Griffin, based on a story by George Clayton Johnson & Jack Golden Russell

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Distributor: Warner Bros./Village Roadshow