Brad Pitt as Rusty Ryan
Catherine Zeta-Jones as Isabel Lahiri
George Clooney as Danny Ocean
Julia Roberts as Tess Ocean
Andy Garcia as Terry Benedict
Casey Affleck as Virgil Malloy
Scott Caan as Turk Malloy
Shaobo Qin as Yen
Bernie Mac as Frank Catton
Don Cheadle as Basher Tarr
Matt Damon as Linus Caldwell
Carl Reiner as Saul Bloom
Eddie Jemison as Livingston Dell
Elliott Gould as Reuben Tishkoff
Robbie Coltrane as Matsui
Vincent Cassel as François Toulour
Eddie Izzard as Roman Nagel
Jerry Weintraub as American Businessman
Cherry Jones as Molly Star
Bruce Willis as Himself
Summary:
If you liked Ocean’s Eleven then you’re probably going to like Ocean’s Twelve.
Story:
This is the sequel to the 2001 film Ocean’s Eleven.
Some years after the first film, Ocean’s Eleven have all settled into their new lives and are enjoying spending their money. Unfortunately, Terry Benedict is able to track each and every one of them down and forces them to repay him, with interest, in two weeks. Under the threat of great bodily harm, Ocean’s Eleven re-teams to pull off a series of heists in Europe in order to pay off Benedict. There are a couple of complications, though.
François Toulour, Europe’s most notorious thief, has decided to turn their race to pull off the elaborate robberies into a game. Toulour is determined to be known as the number one thief in the world over Danny Ocean, so he attempts to beat them to their goals. Further causing problems is Rusty Ryan’s old flame Isabel Lahiri. Not only is Isabel mad at Rusty for running out on her several years ago, but she’s a top investigator for Interpol who is hot on the trail of Toulour and Ocean’s Eleven.
Who will be named the world’s number one thief and can they keep out of jail in the process of finding out?
Ocean’s Twelve is rated PG-13 for language.
What Worked:
Simply put, if you enjoyed Ocean’s Eleven, then you’re going to enjoy Ocean’s Twelve. It’s more of the same material from the first film. You have the same star-studded cast, more of the same humor, more robberies, more cameos, etc etc etc. They stuck with the same winning formula of the first film and ran with it. While you don’t have to see the first film to follow the sequel, it will probably help to do so.
Again, the main cast seem like they are having a heck of a lot of fun making this movie. Clooney and Pitt again make a great team. Matt Damon takes a little bit larger role in this movie. Julia Roberts at first seems like she’s going to be a non-player but she gets very much involved in the story by the end. All of the actors have moments where they shine and offer some great comedy. There are some fun moments where Clooney is harassed about his age. Roberts has a running gag about how she looks like a certain celebrity. Damon is again given grief about being a rookie.
But Ocean’s Twelve isn’t a total rehash of the first movie. This time around we are treated to a few more exotic locations in Amsterdam and Italy. Instead of one elaborate heist we are treated to several. Then there’s the clever plot of the two teams of thieves competing with each other. It adds a nice bit of tension and intrigue to the movie.
However, the best addition to the film is Catherine Zeta-Jones as Isabel Lahiri. She has a really interesting character and she steals practically every scene she’s in. She’s smart, sexy, and confident, yet her one weak spot is for Brad Pitt as Rusty Ryan. The two have great chemistry and the scenes where they match wits are some of the most entertaining.
Ocean’s Twelve features a few more cameos as well. Topher Grace returns as himself. In a hilarious moment, we see him trash a hotel room and have to be calmed down by Brad Pitt’s character. Bruce Willis also has a fun cameo when he appears as himself and throws a wrench into Ocean’s plans. Robbie Coltrane, Cherry Jones, Eddie Izzard, and a few others make amusing cameo roles as well.
While the actors are having fun, you can tell director Steven Soderbergh is having fun as well. He tries out all sorts of different camera techniques and editing tricks. The picture periodically switches from color to black and white. Sometimes it’s a straight drama film, other times like a music video. It’s quite a mix of styles.
What Didn’t Work:
As enjoyable as Ocean’s Twelve was, it did have some problems. First off, some of the robberies are quite preposterous. If think too much about them, you not only realize that the characters would have a hard time pulling them off in such a short amount of time but that they probably wouldn’t work, either. I can’t get into details here without spoiling the film, but you’ll get the idea when you see it. I can say that they involve major structural changes to a house made overnight, dancing around lasers, and holographic imagery. As long as you don’t think too much about it, though, you’ll enjoy it well enough.
Also, with such a large cast, someone is going to get shafted on their amount of screen time. One actor that has his time noticeably reduced is Bernie Mac. He’s taken out of action very early and doesn’t appear again till the end. I’m sure if you have other favorite actors then you’ll think they’re shortchanged, too.
The Bottom Line:
If you liked Ocean’s Eleven, you’ll enjoy Ocean’s Twelve. Catherine Zeta-Jones is a great new addition to the cast.
