Tuesday, June 19, 2007

"OCEAN'S THIRTEEN"
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Carl Reiner, Eddie Izzard, Vincent Cassel, Andy Garcia, Elliot Gould, Scott Caan, Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, Al Pacino, Julian Sands, Eddie Jemison, David Paymer, Shaobo Qin, Bernie Mac, Ellen Barkin

"What are the odds of getting even?
13 to one"

Cinema 4, Shang Cineplex



Some reasons why I enjoyed Ocean's Thirteen:
George Clooney and the whole gang are back.
They have visibly aged but their camaraderie is still intact.
Sleek script, the plot is a lot easier to figure out.
No mind bending twists.
But the heist itself is still rather complex.
The 70s feel and look of the cinematography.
Grainy, sometimes out of focus camera angles.
The neat CGi effects like that hideous structure known as the Banks Hotel.
Vincent Cassel's very brief yet powerful presence on screen.
The few witty and funny dialogue which merit a chuckle or two.
The realistic capture of glittery and gaudy Las Vegas, the Sin City.
The steady acting of a subdued Al Pacino. Not much histrionics which works better.
The able performance of the supporting cast like David Paymer, Julian Sands Eddie Izzard and Andy Garcia to name a few.
The fashionable wardrobe which made them, well most of them look like models for GQ magazine.
The crafty direction of Steven Soderbergh.
Mostly it seems like they all have a lot of fun during the filming of these Ocean films and it radiates on screen.

Number 1 reason this film doesn't rank as my favorite "Ocean" heist:
Ellen Barkin's leathery presence. She was just added to put some ooomph in the film but they should have given her role to a male actor instead. Ugh!

By the way, my favorite among the trilogy is the very complex but cleverly written "Ocean's Twelve".

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