Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Genre

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Director

Steven Soderbergh

Country

USA

Cast

George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Andy García, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Scott Caan, Casey Affleck, Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, Holly Marie Combs, Topher Grace, Joshua Jackson, Barry Watson, Shane West

Storyline

When Daniel Ocean (George Clooney) is released from prison, his next heist is already planned: he combines an eleven member team, including Frank Catton (Bernie Mac), Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) and Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon), to rob three Las Vegas casinos, all owned by Terry Benedict (Andy García).

Opinion

Remake of the 1960 film starring Frank Sinatra - which I haven't seen -, Ocean's Eleven is an exciting, fast-paced, highly entertaining comedy heist filled with tension, and great performances by an all-star cast.

The film scores a lot of points thank to its plot: it is completely unpredictable, and as things happen, you will never know if something went wrong, or things were planned and supposed to go that way without the audience knowing it.

The ironic and never banal dialogue is supported by some wonderful characters, from Pitt's compulsive eater Rusty, to Damon's insecure but clever Linus, and García's ruthless and arrogant Terry Benedict, Ocean's arch nemesis. The chemistry between Ocean and Rusty is so amazing, in several situations they don't even need to end their talk to understand each other.

I liked the photography, but there was something wrong with the way Julia Roberts was shot. She is beautiful but somehow she really looks bad in this film. The music plays a great role in the film.

George Clooney gives a solid, and charismatic performance as Danny Ocean, as always I'd add. Brad Pitt is wonderful as Rusty. The chemistry between the two Hollywood good-looking men is great. Matt Damon is great as the insecure Linus, and Don Cheadle is hilarious. Elliott Gould, Bernie Mac, and Carl Reiner are all good. Andy García delivers a wonderful performance as Terry Benedict. Scott Caan and Casey Affleck are hilarious as the brothers. Newbie Oscar winner Julia Roberts is wasted for the role: she doesn't have much to do, and any other actress could have done that. But I guess the producers wanted an all-star cast.