Yar, you be here: Ocean's Eleven (Widescreen Edition) > Customer Reviews

Ocean's Eleven (Widescreen Edition) Customer Reviews (40 - 42 of 80 Reviews)

Slick and clinical caper...
When the high cost of top draw actor's salaries limits the number of big stars, any one movie can have, it's nice to see that the "remake" of Ocean's Eleven does succeed in gathering together a cast of some rather highly paid actors. The "all star cast" includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, and Julia Roberts. The second tier group of actors includes Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, and Hollywood veterans, Elliot Gould and Carl Reiner. With such heavyweight talent, and a setting in Las Vegas, one might expect spectacular results, but they never quite materialize. Director Steven Soderberg's production is a slick, and well-structured, yet superficial and lacking in passion and emotion. The tale is well told, but never aims for, or touches the heart.

Low key, analytical, and in control, George Clooney, is Danny Ocean, the man with an audacious plan to rob the vault of the Bellagio casino. Andy Garcia is Terry Benedict, the owner of the Bellagio, who's current love is Ocean's ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts). Ocean's team is headed by Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), who does most of the recruiting, and oversees the elaborate operation.

Lack of passion? Well, we don't really hate Benedict, the intended victim, who just comes off of as ultra competent. Andy Garcia, plays his character as very straight and reserved. Clooney, while a good actor, is not the ideal choice as a fiery romantic lead. Julia Roberts is the lone female, and her performance is also subdued, rather than stunning. What emotion there is, is mostly present in undertones.

The other performances are solid, but there just isn't any special chemistry to be found between any of them. Pitt is steady, not flashy. Don Cheadle's character "Basher" an electronics expert, uses unfamiliar English slang, to perhaps impart "authenticity", but it's more of a distraction ("naused?"). Some performances do sneak up on you. Carl Reiner, is wonderful, and scores big time, playing a rich tycoon to perfection. And versatile Matt Damon, is the "kid" forced into a primary role, in the biggest job of his life. Just a tip, no more shots of Elliot Gould with his shirt open,

If you are satisfied with just a smoothly-executed, and rewarding heist, then give this a chance. There's not much suspense or humor however, and character development is minimal. The focus is on the task at hand. The music, adds to its slick feeling, keeping things light and flowing. Oscar winning director Soderberg draws top stars to his projects, and making a lightweight "fun" picture is certainly no crime.

NOT TOO SHALLOW, NOT TOO DEEP
Director: Stephen Soderbergh
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Don Cheedle, Elliot Gould, Eddie Jemison, Casey Affleck, Scott Cann, Bernie Mac, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner.
Release Date: 7/12/2001
Rated: PG-13 some language and sexual content
Running time: 1hr 58mins
Genre: Drama

While being incarcerated in a New Jersey jail, parolee Danny Ocean formulates a plan to win back his ex-wife and take down three of the largest casinos in Las Vegas, all within twenty- four hours of his release.
Ocean's Eleven, remake of the 1960 film, staring the Rat Pack, proved it needed no introduction as actor George Clooney and director Stephen Soderbergh worked together in creating this stylish action packed drama. This remake is definitely worth the wait.

Danny Ocean (George Clooney) devises plans amongst prison walls to bring together eleven men to perform a casino heist and win back his ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts). The success of this movie comes from a thrill seeking adventurous storyline, and from casting some of the finest actors on set to create a movie that is only to be applauded. With the likes of a young pickpocket Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon); Ocean's main man, the smart and stylish Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt); casino owner Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia); with Ocean's ex-wife Tess, played by the stunning Julia Roberts; and Danny Ocean portrayed by none other than George Clooney himself, where could the acting go wrong? The cast took the film to another level, one of class and excitement.

Ocean's Eleven is a film with no dead spots. As Clooney and his carefully selected crew continue to make adjustments to their plans, so continues the action and suspense for the audience. The movie allows the audience to have fun and be part of the action, as well as being able to witness a well thought-out (yet non-realistic) plan. The stakes? Win more than $150 million dollars or loose eleven people's freedom.

The team of eleven all have their individual moment or two in the limelight throughout the film. The bigger names in the entertainment industry such as the Clooneys and Roberts didn't exactly have to be the center of focus to make this movie work. This allowed a different perspective on character input into the film to arise, and those less highly profiled actors such as explosives expert Bashar Tarr (Don Cheedle) and electronics expert Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison) get to show off their talent and love for performance. These techniques made Ocean's Eleven different from other movies while maintaining at high level what I see as an insightful and interesting drama film.

With an experienced director such as Stephen Soderbergh, Best Film Academy Award last year for two of his previous films, Erin Brockovich and Traffic, I didn't expect anything less than an outstanding movie, and that's what I got. I felt that Soderbergh set out to do no more than create a quick and fun film, and Ocean's Eleven matched up to, if not improved upon, my expectations.

After walking away from this smart, clever, and stylish film, I would highly recommend Ocean's Eleven to all those who are prepared to play along with adventure and drama. Ocean's Eleven will show you a good time, as it doesn't pretend to be anything it's not.

A lightweight caper with brilliant chemistry
After a runaway success with this year's heavyweight TRAFFIC, director Steven Soderbergh relaxes his pace with a hilarious take on the enjoyable caper, a remake on the 1960s Ocean's 11. It is in fact one that surpasses the original starring Rrank Sinatra and his Rat Pack pals - and part of the luminous glow attributes to Soderbergh's stylish directing and cinematography. The Las vegas glamour and casino burst in full glory with the cameras - consistent with the brilliance of the mega stardom. Danny Ocean played by the enigmatic George Clooney decides to erase criminal history with a heist on the casino tycoon Terry Benedict. He conjures up a plan to penetrate the 200 feet vault and ultimately the 150 million prize. Yet his motives run deeper - his ex wife played by Julia Roberts is now Terry's interest. Danny joins forces with a motley of swindlers and pickpockets - including Matt Damon as Linus Caldwell, Brad Pitt as Rusty - his sidekick, Don Cheadle with his British accent as a bomb expert, Shaobo Qin as a acrobat, Carl Reiner as an experienced hustler et al.

Despite the first hour of the movie rounding up the characters, there is never a dull moment. That's where Soderbergh's storytelling confidence takes full fledge - each is with his distinctive personality; their rapport and chemistry has bolstered the good-natured fun. The plot remains outlandish with a slight twist or two, speckled with some smooth humour and sleek moves in the action department. This year's best heist thriller? It is an intelligent plot serviceable enough but not much powerhouse acting like THE SCORE. Ocean's 11 has no plans to outshine or compete - the mood is dexterously imbued to entertain the audience with some light fluff and clean fun. The competent directing and scripting robs away your mundane boredom to light you up with a smile.

Previous Page

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Next Page