As you all well know, I am a fan of heist movies. You should know if you have been following my blog since the humblest of beginnings, but if not that’s cool, I can fill you in on the details. There is something so sly and cool about heist movies. I love watching the inner workings of a crime caper unfold and see the gears start to turn as the act is being committed. From the assembling of the crew, the explanation of the act and then watching everything fall into place. Ocean’s Eleven (the most recent one) had all the hallmarks of what makes a good heist film for me. While capturing all the parts of the act, they managed to interject a stylistic rhythm to the whole proceeding that made the film have this unique vibe that leads you to believe that Clooney and Pitt really do steal from people on the weekends.
Ocean’s Eleven opens with its titular hero Danny Ocean (George Clooney stepping into the Frank Sinatra role) eager for a new challenge. Ocean conspires with his old pal Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) to rob 150 million dollars from an underground vault that serves three of Las Vegas’ biggest casinos. Between the two of them, they recruit nine other men, each with his own criminal specialty, to assist in the mission: moneyman Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould), card dealer Frank (Bernie Mac), pickpocket Linus (Matt Damon), aging con artist Saul (Carl Reiner), British explosives pro Basher (Don Cheadle), techie Dell (Eddie Jemison), rude-boy brothers Virgil (Casey Affleck) and Turk (Scott Caan), and professional acrobat Yen (Shaobo Qin). What Ocean doesn’t tell the group is that there’s another reason he’s coordinating the heist: the three casinos they’re robbing are all owned by ruthless gambling mogul Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), who just happens to be married to Ocean’s former love Tess (Julia Roberts). (source)
I think you would be hard pressed to find people who really hated this movie. It’s hard too hate on a movie with a cast that is second to none in terms of variety and personality. It all just clicks so well when you see the montage of the gang getting back together as each character has their own little adventure and story that they are in the middle of. From passing the time on a racetrack or in the middle of a robbery, all the character have a little unique story behind that essentially established their skill and role. It’s little touches like this that make the coming together of all these characters so fascinating and natural looking. They greet and banter with one another like they have been working together since childhood.
I like that aspect of the film. The camaraderie and honor amongst the pack of thieves is refreshing a certain understanding of trust is needed. So with the establishment of the characters, the heist is what is fascinating. A lot of movies that dabble in the crime genre will usually have some sort of heist or big time crime that will take place. Typically there is a lot of explosions, chases, shooting and killing that is involved because it always goes wrong. Ocean’s Eleven kind of plays with that notion and tropes of heist movies, but does so with a wink and a smile. It is coy in what it is accomplishing, while showing that the characters are far smarter than we are. It’s nice to have your expectation played a bit and the film leads us from the beginning groundwork of the heist to the masterful completion of it. You are brought along for the ride and it is satisfying.
For me, the first one is the best of the series while the third one comes next and the atrocious second installment kind of killed the buzz. Eleven had all the confidence in the world from the smart script, tight directing and great casting that made it an enjoyable movie from start to finish. I think having the film take place in Las Vegas added that glitzy sheen on the film that makes it memorable, cause who doesn’t want to take down the house.
*images via RottenTomatoes
