"
Length:
116 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some language and sexual content
I usually don't like heist movies, but I loved "Ocean's Eleven" (2001).
This film is not high art, but it is pure entertainment. This highly engaging
movie is a remake of the 1960 film of the same title that starred Frank Sinatra.
The earlier "Ocean's Eleven" featured the star power of the Rat Pack (Sinatra,
Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr., and Joey Bishop) and was set against
the backdrop of their native habitat, Las Vegas, but aside from that, the film
didn't have much going for it. The new "Ocean's Eleven" is one of those rare remakes
where the original pales by comparison.
Stylishly directed by Steven Soderbergh,
the 2001 version of "Ocean's Eleven" has an all-star cast that includes George
Clooney, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Scott
Caan, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, and Carl Reiner. Although the plot
of "Ocean's Eleven" is flimsier than many a musical's, the script is otherwise
so skillfully crafted you might not notice that the story's logic threatens to
vaporize and float away. Danny Ocean (Clooney), assisted by his old buddy Rusty
Ryan (Pitt), assembles a team that consists of eleven men, and they set out to
rob three Las Vegas casinos (Bellagio, MGM Grand, and Mirage). There's more than
just money at stake for Danny: he also tries to win back his ex-wife Tess (Roberts),
who has become the girlfriend of Terry Benedict (Garcia), owner of the three casinos.
The charisma of the actors and the overall look of the film bring everything
up a notch. Both Brad Pitt and George Clooney glide through the scenes they are
in as the embodiment of modern masculine suave and cool. But my real favorite
is Carl Reiner, who steals every scene he is in. The cinematography (by Steven
Soderbergh under the pseudonym of Peter Andrews) is slick, creative, and has a
visually seductive glamour, evoking a vision of Las Vegas as a kind of grown-up
playground where the normal rules of reality don't apply and where anything is
possible. It's no wonder that "Ocean's Eleven" was able to get the cooperation
it needed for location shooting!
The DVD has some interesting extras,
including theatrical trailers and two commentary tracks. The commentary with director
Steven Soderbergh and writer Ted Griffin provides insights into the filmmaking
and writing processes, but at times the patter is so self-consciously glib that
it grated on my nerves. Although the commentary with actors Brad Pitt, Matt Damon,
and Andy Garcia has moments where it sounds like a love fest, I found it to be
the more enjoyable commentary because it is fun, relaxed, and freewheeling.
Selected
Special Features on the DVD:
- Available in Two Editions: Widescreen
Anamorphic (Aspect Ratio 1.85:1) and Full-Screen (Aspect Ratio 1.33:1)
- Dolby
Digital 5.1
- Dolby Surround 2.0
- Audio Commentary by Director
Steven Soderbergh and Writer Ted Griffin
- Audio Commentary by Actors Brad
Pitt, Matt Damon and Andy Garcia
- Three Theatrical Trailers (Includes
Two Teaser Trailers)
- "HBO First Look" Documentary on the Making of the
Film
- "The Look of the Con" Behind-the-Scenes Documentary
- DVD-ROM:
"In or Out" Game
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