Ocean’s Eleven was an entertaining film, while Ocean’s Twelve was less interesting than its predecessor. After my Spider-Man 3 letdown I expected this series to go out with a fizzle. Boy was I wrong. Oceans Thirteen is really funny (note, I’ll keep using that word). The first two films worked as mildly humorous heist capers, Thirteen works solidly as both a heist film and a comedy. The entire cast works well together as they have in the past, the script is excellent and director Steven Soderbergh hit’s all of the right notes.
Speaking of notes, David Holmes soundtrack is amazing. I became a fan of Holmes work after seeing another Soderbergh film, Out of Sight. The music sets the mood and tone for the film without being melodramatic or corny. Holmes’ musical take on film soundtracks has a slightly electronic sound that is fun and slightly clubby.
If you saw the first two films you kind of know what to expect here. Many of the running jokes show up in this film, like Rusty’s (Brad Pitt) constant eating and the entire cast understanding the Chinese speaking Yen (Shaobo Qin). There are also more humorous references to the off camera life of the main actors (Pitt and George Clooney).
The third film in any trilogy usually tries to up the ante in terms of the stakes and this film is no different. The motivation of the group this time out is revenge. After Will Bank (Al Pacino) double crosses Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould), Danny Ocean and his crew head back to Las Vegas to get revenge. In for the ride is the majority of the crew from the first two films, including Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). The absence of Julia Roberts’ character, Tess is explored in several brief but interesting conversations between Pitt and Clooney’s characters.
There are some truly hilarious moments with Casey Affleck (Virgil Malloy) who gets his own sub-plot (in Spanish) for a part of the movie. Bernie Mac seems to have less screen time in this film but he manages to shine in that time. Al Pacino delivers a restrained (no whoo-ha!) performance and it is always great to see Ellen Barkin onscreen. There is a very funny cameo from a TV icon that will have you laughing your ass off. Bob Einstien (aka Super Dave Osborne) is also very funny as FBI Agent Caldwell.
That was the long of it. The short of it is, Ocean’s Thirteen is f****** funny . Go see it.
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