Three out of
Five stars
Running time:
122 mins
Average heist thriller that's better than the disastrous sequel but still occasionally disappointing and not quite as good as the first one.
What's it all about?
The third film in the Oceans 11 franchise sees Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) double-crossed by unscrupulous casino owner Willy Bank (Al Pacino), leading to a heart attack that lands him in hospital in a near-catatonic state of depression. Understandably, Danny Ocean (George Clooney) doesn't take kindly to this sort of thing, so he reunites his numerous buddies (Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, etc.) and they come up with an elaborate revenge plan that involves destroying Bank's much-prized reputation on the opening night of his new casino.
The Good
The film is beautifully shot throughout and Soderbergh's flashy editing and direction keep things ticking along nicely. There's also a superb jazzy soundtrack that adds considerably to the undeniable lounge-style coolness of it all.
There isn't much room for character development this time round, but Soderbergh at least ensures that everyone gets a comedy moment or two. Highlights include Matt Damon and his comedy nose, Eddie Izzard's brief but entertaining cameo (during which he refers to Danny and Rusty as the Morecambe and Wise of thievery) and Casey Affleck's Mexico-based contribution to the plot, complete with comedy moustache.
The Bad
Unfortunately a lot of the jokes don't really work, although there is an inspired gag about Danny Ocean's TV-viewing habits. Similarly, fans of shouty Al Pacino will be disappointed because he's hardly shouty at all and never gets into the scenery chewing that his presence really demands.
The other problem is that there's never a sense of jeopardy or danger and the film basically boils down to watching these likeable characters execute their perfect heist without anything ever really threatening to go wrong.
Worth seeing?
Oceans 13 is a vast improvement on Oceans 12, but it's never much more than a well-directed heist movie with a starry cast and a couple of good gags.