Film review - Ocean's 11 (From Western Telegraph)

Film review - Ocean's 11

Oceans 11 Director: Steve Soderbergh Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts. (Cert. 12, 117 mins)

Steve Soderbergh had a great year last year. Two of his films in the running for Oscar glory (Traffic and Erin Brokovich). This year may not be so worthy but his latest film Oceans 11 is worth every second of any film fans attention.

Oceans 11 is of course a remake of the rat pack movie that starred Frank Sinatra. But where the original is a patchy excuse for the crooners to hang out together on screen in their spiritual home, Las Vegas, Soderberghs version is much more film for your hard-earned cash.

Making movies is always a gamble and assembling a novelty all-star cast like this is a greater gamble for all concerned. Firstly it costs a lot, but also its bound to attract more attention than any of them would get as a lone headliner. So if its a good film the cash-in is greater, if its a bad film then the star and director will famously by derided as being egotistical enough to think that just being on screen together was enough to make us interested. A risky gamble then and fittingly Oceans 11, with its sparkling talent constellation of Clooney, Pitt, Damon, Garcia and Roberts is a story about a heist in the gambling heaven of Las Vegas.

The Sinatra role of Danny Ocean, in this sexy 21st century revamp, has George Clooney smoothing like hes never smoothed before, even in the earliest days of ER, and thats despite the Cary Grant greying temples that he is sensibly allowing into his heartthrob moulding.

Wise indeed when his co-star is arguably the number one movie star pin-up on the planet, Brad Pitt, who is at least ten years his junior in looks if not age. Pitt is not just a face though. As one of the gang that Ocean enlists to rob the vaults of the three biggest, richest, casinos on The Strip in Las Vegas, Pitt does an awful lot by doing little else but snack in the background. In real life as the years go by and even Pitts looks start to fade it will be his performances like this that will see him ease gently into being a master-class movie legend.

The brat of the pack is Matt Damon, perhaps making even Pitt feel old. Hes the youngest of the heist gang and turns in another steady, if not thrilling performance. Soderbergh has added to this generous cast with the brilliant Elliot Gould and Don Cheadle, though his cockney accent isnt the best idea in the film, and of course theres a young lady called Julia Roberts. Its like seeing four movies at once!

In the story of Danny Oceans Robin Hood attack on the evil gambling houses of Vegas Julia Roberts is the Maid Marion, Oceans ex-wife who is currently dating an evil Casino owner played by Andy Garcia. (Hes the Sheriff of Nottingham in case youre still interested in the Robin Hood comparison.) Andy Garcia does a bad-guy brilliantly and its his lack of pantomiming that is one of Oceans 11 greatest strengths.

In fact nearly all the component parts of this overblown heist-movie are pretty good and one of them, Soderberghs quick cutting sprint editing, makes sure that any weaknesses are gone and forgotten before youve had time to dwell on them. Soderberghs variety of film-making is proof enough of his skill, but if this is your first Soderbergh movie youll be equally impressed and itll be hard not to enjoy Oceans 11. Its the sexiest heist movie Ive seen in ages.