Director: Steven Soderberg
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Al Pacino
The first two offerings of the Ocean's series have been enjoyable eye candy. The escapades of Danny Ocean and his impeccable band of professional conmen have had a touch of class and humour. Their thieving itself has also been of the highest order.
This third outing is no different and delivers the same brand of dry, deadpan humour. The producers thankfully opt for the 'more of the better' route, rather than the abysmal
'bigger is better' failures that most recent sequels have been.
The film begins with the band convening for another daredevil heist. But this around, their aim lies on neither just the money, nor saving their own skin. Ruben, the beloved benefactor of the group, has been swindled by the wicked hotel baron Mr Bank. And the rest of the 11 intend to pay him back, with interest. What follows is the group's elaborate plan to ruin Bank's new casino-cum-hotel, the Shuffle Royale, on its opening night.
But the job is easier said than done. Bank and his right hand woman Abigail have the best possible security system, and their casino is like a fortress. Breaking Shuffle is an expensive process and eventually the group's money runs dry. Which means they are forced to cut a deal with their arch-nemesis Terry Benedict. Benedict agrees, but not before further intensifying the group's challenge.
True to their previous ventures, the group triumphs once again, with a combination of outlandish plots and far-fetched physics. The methods include sabotaging a hotel reviewer's visit with biohazard chemicals, orchestrating an earthquake, and hacking into all the gambling machines to ensure Bank incurs one of the heaviest losses in hotel history.
The ensemble cast works splendidly and the chemistry between them actors is evident on screen. It is a pity that Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta Jones do not reprise their roles in this outing. Al Pacino's turn as the amoral tycoon is delightful, while Clooney, Pitt, and Damon shine, as always.
One of the biggest attractions of the movie is its ability to be consistently funny. There isn't much physical comedy, and Ocean's 13 does not force-feed the viewer with parody, satire, and over-the-top facial expressions—its humour comes from its easy laidback pace. Yet that could possibly be a drawback, as some viewers might not be able to relate to the interaction between the characters.
The film's heavy build-up is not done justice in the climax, unfortunately, but that doesn' detract from the quality of Ocean's 13 overall.
