Ocean’s Thirteen
Given its highly anticipated sequel that turned out to be a little more disappointing than moviegoers had hoped, the “Ocean’s Eleven” franchise wasn’t necessarily in a position for another sequel. The story they began with was fresh, very intelligent, and speckled to perfection with its unbelievable Hollywood cast. “Eleven” was a smash hit, and “Twelve” just left us confused. Now, from out of left field, the Ocean franchise comes out swinging with a clever caper film where the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before.
The story explodes in its set up with an engaging premise. Al Pacino is easily added to the cast as he plays Casino owner Willie Bank who has just double crossed Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould); one of Danny Ocean’s “eleven.” Enraged by this, Ocean (Clooney) rounds up the gang for a retaliation that will take place during the grand opening of Bank’s newest casino. Sounds familiar, right? Wrong. This sabotage puts Ocean’s gang at an even more impossible task that requires more teamwork than they ever thought. Instead of stealing the money themselves, the gang plans to help the guests can walk out with the money. In reality, it’s unlikely that much of the plan could have been so perfectly executed as it is sometimes depicted, but then again these characters bet against all odds for a living. It’s a movie filled with so much intrigue and so many possibilities that you forget, sometimes, who’s actually in it.
You forget to keep pointing out Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, or George Clooney simply because you will be kept busy eating up the story. A perfect amount of screen time is attributed to each character so you almost forget that you are being bombarded with star performances on an overload. In this case, all actors do what they are supposed to be hired to do in movies, which is convince an audience that they are someone else. Here they are characters driven by emotions of the character and not in the personal taste of the actor. For someone as well known as Mr. Clooney that’s a near impossible feat given today’s paparazzi audience. Surprisingly, Pacino does this better than anyone. Even Ellen Barkin holds her own among a nearly all male cast. She’s portrays a tough, smart woman who easily replaces the bland Julia Roberts of the previous films. There’s no question she is as fun to watch among the rest of the gang.
Director Steven Soderbergh finally finds his rhythm with his visual storytelling techniques. What makes “Thirteen” stand apart from the other installments is the vibrant use of color and elegance. “Twelve” experimented with this, but the inter title sequences seem to have more flare and flash that match what is depicted in the film. The exquisite scene of the Vegas strip carries over in every aspect of this film. It’s also spirited with a realistic tendency to make extraordinary set pieces match nearly every aspect of a particular scene. In essence, the film is a giant box of modern art where each room holds a different story.
Among every aspect of “Thirteen” there is an obvious improvement from its predecessors. From film making to overall storytelling, the excitement is palpable, even if it may seem a bit unrealistic at times. This series makes waves on an endless ocean of originality and shows no signs of breaking. These are Hollywood movies at their finest.
Ocean’s Thirteen
Rated PG-13 for brief sensuality
Runtime: 122 min.
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Ellen Barkin, and Al Pacino
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
