Ocean's Thirteen (2007) Reviews

• A lot going on, but nothing much happening....

  Screen-Space2007-06-07

  Ocean Thirteen's slick credit sequence, highlighting Brad Pitt in all his movie star glory and letting us all know that Soderbergh and his camera are up for some glossy fun, gets the heart racing in anticipation of a slick, sly heist caper on par with #1 and superior to #2. But then, as detail upon detail is heaped upon the audience and increasingly silly machinations are put in place to ensure the casino-robbery plan works, it all starts to unravel until, burdened by its own only-in-the-movies logic, the film grinds to a halt just when it should be at its most exciting. At the 80 minute mark, the film, in desperate need of a compelling story to kick-in, is still setting up the details of the heist. No tension has been created, no forward momentum is in place, no characters are established sufficiently to root for. Soderbergh is no doubt hoping the good will audiences have for his characters from the first film is still in place here (sorely tested in Oceans Twelve). And despite taking all this time to create a detailed if rather ludicrous heist plan, it then boils down to relying on coincidence rather than cunning for it all to work. Clooney and Pitt still have the charisma and chemistry to make some moments enjoyable, but there isn't the zing in their banter that was a highlight of the first film. Other returning cast members - Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Andy Garcia - are all reduced to plot devices rather than given any substance (I know this isn't meant to be a in-depth character piece, but gimme somebody to care about and not just ogle!). Best moments come from Scott Cann and Casey Affleck; most embarrassing from Don Cheadle. And though Al Pacino is suitably villainous as the bad guy, he's also the most interesting and compelling character in the film, making his ultimate downfall (which, lets face it, is no spoiler) a little bittersweet (I would've liked to have seen him slap Danny Ocean up the side of the head, if only to create a little spark in the film). What is sorely missing is a strong female character. Julia Roberts provided it in #1; Julia and Catherine Zeta-Jones were the best things about #2. In O13, Ellen Barkin is reduced to playing Pacino's 2IC as a blindly-ambitious slut, and its awful. Other female characters are either casino-pit screechers or hookers, underlying the boys-own macho-ness of these films. It does look great in parts - the set design and CGI work is impeccable - and Soderbergh, holding his own camera under the name 'Peter Andrews', shoots his cast and the locales sumptuously in deep, rich reds and golden tones. But at 122 minutes its a long slog. With a triumvirate of blah threequels this American summer already clogging multiplexes, Ocean Thirteens only adds weight to the argument that if anything interesting or inspired is going to be done with the characters or plot in a franchise film, its already been done by the time a #3 is churned out.

• Not as good as 11...Much better than 12.

  emrelanur2007-08-08

  Normally the sequel to a movie is a let down. Especially if the first part was really good. I think that's what's happened with Ocean's 12 for many but l hope this doesn't mean that they won't be watching '13'. I was happy to see all of the same characters and actors together again because that is one big cool cast. Not to mention Al Pacino...icing on the cake.Who could resist? For those who are in doubt about Ocean's 13, i hope you're not affected by some bad reviews because history doesn't repeat itself with this one. It's got an interesting story and some fabulous actors and acting. Don't miss out.

• Entertaining Yet Forgettable

  insectnation2007-06-19

  I went to see this movie with only one expectation, surely it cant be as bad as the second film. On this front i was greatly pleased as the sense of smugness surrounding twelve has been completely lost. The only real problem i had was that after the film finished i really struggled to remember anything particularly about it. The performances were all OK but no one really stood out, whereas Matt Damon was the only person i didn't want to slap in twelve, he never gets the chance to shine. Al Pacino has no chance to make a memorable villain out of the limited screen time leaving you not really caring if they can pull off the job or not. Clooney and Pitt also do an OK job of an average script, but it never rises above OK. The area i think this film falls down is with a cast that is too big, while inventive and different in the first film, just hinders this one. There are too many people trying to get their five minutes on screen to really give a damn. Maybe this is the directors feels we already care about them as we know the characters, when in reality the damage caused by twelve was enough to need character building again. Arguably a plot on a smaller scale would have been better with a sharp focus on one or two characters as in the first film. While flashy this film is all about style over substance and if you are looking for a shallow but entertaining summer movie this may just be it.

• Movie Review: Ocean's Thirteen

  andydreamseeker2007-06-07

  So they're back, for a third time, after Ocean's Eleven in 2001 and Ocean's Twelve in 2004. First they took out three of Terry Benedict's (Andy Garcia) Las Vegas casinos at one go with a smart and clever plan in Eleven, then they had to pay it all back with interest to Benedict in Twelve by staging a different theft, now in Thirteen the team of eleven are back to casino stealing with a little help from again, Benedict. The unlucky guy is Willy Banks (Al Pacino) who owns a series of highly rated "5 Diamonds" hotels. The team is not in for the money this round but for revenge because Banks had done the disfavour of first knocking Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould), one of the Eleven, from a hotel deal causing the man a heart-attack and a sudden lost in zest for life. You could say old Willy Banks had it coming for him because his ego was too big for himself. He had without any regards dismissed the Eleven's attempt for him to reinstate Reuben's share of the hotel. As it reads, "What are the odds of getting even? 13 to 1." It's time to place your bet. Good guys versus bad guys. I cannot really call thieves good guys can I? How about nice guys then? These guys are nice. They have a sentimental heart. They watch Oprah. These guys are nice. They have a heart of gold. They will do anything for a friend. And these guys are cool, handsome and funny too. Danny Ocean (George Clooney), Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon), Frank Catton (Bernie Mac), Virgil Malloy (Casey Affleck), Turk Malloy (Scott Caan), Saul Bloom (Carl Reiner), Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle), "The Amazing" Yen (Shaobo Qin), Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison) and Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) make up the Eleven. Strong cast and strong performance is to describe the ensemble. Let me re-familiarize you to the team. Danny and Rusty are the mastermind and deputy. Linus is the rookie turned master thief. Frank is the professional dealer. Virgil and Turk are brothers who are experts in everything (they kind of do everything and run everywhere). Saul is the old and characteristic actor con-artiste. Basher is the demolition and machinery expert. "The Amazing" Yen is the well… the amazing Yen who is skilled in acrobatic. Livingston is the guru in surveillance and an electronic geek. And of course lastly we have Reuben who is the old man with the money and Danny's mentor. No worries if you can't remember their roles. You can't be blamed for that. There are after all eleven of them. Just remember them as master of disguises. Lots of that will appear in the film. What make a film like Ocean's Thirteen worth watching is watching all the characters. It is fun to see all of them coming together in their own way to give the story its life. The acting is in one word, superb. And the actor who plays the bad guy, Willy Banks, Al Pacino is great. The facial expression whenever the veteran actor appears on screen is beyond words. Those eyes and that look, brilliant. Banks right hand man, or woman, and the only mentionable actress in Ocean's Thirteen is Abigail Sponder (Ellen Barkin), and she's foxy. The story is not that complicated and I can't spoil it by telling. It is basically the eleven taking revenge on Banks with a little help from Benedict. There'll be the usual witty dialogues, the underlying funny relationship among the team members and of course the all-important ploy of how to breach into ego Willy's hotel casino on its opening night. For a film of such fashion, the most interesting part will always be how smart the plan to steal is being done. In Ocean's Thirteen it is not bad and quite exaggerated. For the audience I advise taking the consideration of logic out of the equation and just enjoy all the action on screen as they are. There is no need to be too hard or too smart about it. The main point to this film is to enjoy the humour. The chill-out, atmospheric and ambient music by composer David Holmes is one of the factors that give this movie series its slick aesthetics. Ocean's Thirteen bettered its last effort of Twelve though not quite as clever, smart and interesting as Eleven. A first tough act was always hard to follow but director Steven Soderbergh gave this one a decent account. It is easier to enjoy the movie than to dislike it. I like the small part about the hotel reviewer and the jackpot and felt it was a nice touch. If I were to put the film more critically though, I would say that it is not as smooth and the flavour not as strong. Sounds like I'm describing an ice-cream? It is like ice-cream with all the actors and actress in this one. Now who doesn't like ice-cream right? Any flavour will do as long as it's sweet, cool and topped with some crunch.

• A Good Movie To Watch And Multi-Task With

  alexkolokotronis2009-02-03

  Have you ever watched a film while multi-tasking? Well if you have, you should do it again but this time put on Ocean's Thirteen. I would not describe myself as a fan of the Oceans' movies but I have pretty much enjoyed all of them. In light of that though this is the worst one of the series. The movie is very well acted in that it appears the whole cast has fun with the material from top to bottom. That does not make it a good film though it just makes it a nice to get together. One thing I could say though was this time around I actually noticed Casey Affleck because of his recent breakout performances in other films. So with that, he and Al Pacino just adds to the fun of watching all the great actors and stars in the film. The script is very witty at times and did have me chuckle more often then not. What was missing though were the star actresses. Tangle in all the fun of a crazy scheme to rob a casino, gambling and just Las Vegas is the women. It would have been great to see Julia Roberts or Catherina Zeta Jones or even both back for the film. Instead we had to settle with Ellen Barkin who has not nearly as an impressive career or persona as her counterparts. As the rest of the series this film really is not too thought provoking or deep. It won't inspire you to do something so honestly it won't be too necessary to focus all your thoughts on this film. This is an entertaining film considering George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Al Pacino, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac and Casey Affleck are in it but yet it isn't as well made or enjoyable as its predecessors.