George Clooney as Danny Ocean
Brad Pitt as Dusty Ryan
Julia Roberts as Tess Ocean
Casey Affleck as Virgil Malloy
Scott Caan as Turk Malloy
Don Cheadle as Roscoe Means
Carl Reiner as Saul Bloom
Matt Damon as Linus Caldwell
Andy Garcia as Harry Benedict
Elliott Gould as Ruben Tischkoff
Summary:
Ocean’s 11 is a fun movie with great acting and good dialogue.
Story:
Danny Ocean is a professional thief that has just been released from prison on parole. He claims to be reformed, but he immediately begins planning his next robbery. Ocean wants to rob millions of dollars from three Las Vega casinos. However, to pull it off, he must assemble a motley group of other thieves to help him out. The team of eleven includes a rookie, a veteran, a tech specialist, a gymnast, an explosives expert, and others. Its an impossible task, but Danny has it all planned out. What his partners dont know is that Ocean has another hidden agenda. The owner of the three casinos happens to be the new boyfriend of his ex-wife, and he plans to get away with both the money and his wife.
Rated PG-13 for some language and sexual content.
What Worked:
With a cast including Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, etc etc etc etc, you know the acting is going to be good, and it is. Oceans 11 does a good job of giving all of these actors quite a bit of screen time, and every one has some sort of shining moment. In the end, Brad Pitt and George Clooney come away with two of the more likable roles. They have a lot of funny banter between them that helps liven the film up a bit. Pitt also has a funny scene teaching several Hollywood stars how to play cards. Scott Caan and Casey Affleck are also pretty funny as the juvenile Malloy brothers who fight with each other throughout the film. It was also great to see veteran actors like Carl Reiner and Elliot Gould have prominent roles.I never saw the original Oceans 11, so I have nothing to compare the new version to. However, I found the new one to be funny and smart. Steven Soderbergh does a great job directing and making everyone in the film look cool. The dialogue is great and there are a lot of clever one-liners by many of the characters. The music also compliments the story well.
The centerpiece of the film is the robbery. It is cleverly done with a number of twists and turns. It would be improbable in real life, but it is still fun to watch. If you enjoy any of these actors or would like to see a good popcorn flick, then you may find Oceans 11 worth checking out.
What Didn’t Work:
I cant really complain about much in this film. If I were to gripe about anything, it would be that Don Cheadle speaks with a British accent. Its hard to understand and I never really bought it coming from him. It would have been better to ditch it. Other than that, the acting was great, the story was fun with good dialogue, and it was enjoyable. The only reason I gave it a lower score was because its not a film Id rush out to see again or buy on DVD.
