Movie Review: Ocean's 12

Stars (Out of 10): 7.5

One Word Summary: 12 = 1 2 Many

Movie Details: Ocean's Twelve Crime | Comedy | Suspense/Thriller | Action MPAA RATING PG-13 for language 125 minutes | Color USA WRITTEN BY George Nolfi George Clayton Johnson (characters) Jack Golden Russell (characters)   DIRECTED BY Steven Soderbergh THEATRICAL RELEASE Dec 10, 2004   Relevant Sites: IMDB Official Movie Website Watch The Movie Trailers Shopping: Shop Amazon for items related to this movie. Shop for movie posters at AllPosters

"Ocean's 12" Review:

          It's been three years since Ocean's 11 and since Danny Ocean and crew robbed Terry Benedict's Bellagio vault of $160 million dollars. The eleven have parted ways, attempting to live legitimate lives with their lucrative cuts from the original heist. In Ocean's 12, a European thief breaks 'Rule #1' by reporting 'Ocean's Eleven' to Benedict, who in turn demands the entire $160 million back plus interest in only two weeks. With no other choice than to go back to their stealing ways, the team reunites in Europe for a new heist. This time they're competing against the thief that ratted them out, and running from a Europol detective especially motivated to catch Rusty.

          I loved Ocean's 11… it was an amazingly well planned and well acted caper comedy. Ocean's 12 is more of the same, but it comes less naturally.

          Twelve comes out so contrived and overcomplicated. Like its predecessor, the story unfolds and is later explained through flashbacks, but the difference is that while Eleven's twists and turns were impressive, Twelve's are verging on ridiculous. When the entire story is revealed at the end, we realize that the movie could have been half as long if the characters' plan wasn't so overly elaborate.

          Director Steven Soderbergh also tries mix it up with the cinematography. Twelve is shot like an independent film, which arises the question: why would a $100 million-plus box office behemoth try to look cheap. Eleven was shot with gorgeous a color palette and high-gloss style (very Vegas like), while some scenes in Twelve could have been shot with a camcorder (what, Europe isn't fun?). There isn't anything wrong with the new style, but it just takes away from the movie's glamour and spunk.

          Both Ocean's movies are mainly about the characters. With such a talented cast, it would be silly not to focus on the characters, but it also stems from the characters being so well conceived. Twelve has the same characters, but their stories are stretched awfully thin; at one point in the movie half of them are gone for one reason or another but the movie still doesn't develop them as they should.

          All that being said… Ocean's 12 is still fun. American Idol performers love to remind us how great a time they had singing each of their songs, as if it makes up for the fact that they came nowhere near the right key, but Twelve's cast clearly had a great time making this movie, and it translates to the screen. Why else would Julia Roberts take such a cut in her role, or the entire cast take what must amount a combined pay cuts that altogether must amount to the gross national product of a midsized nation?

          It really is a remarkable cast. If a larger cast of A-List actors has ever been assembled, I can't think of it. Clooney, Pitt, Roberts, Damon, Zeta-Jones… it's a cast too good for Matt Stone and Trey Parker to even imagine replacing with puppets. Saying they do a good job isn't even necessary, but it's worth saying it anyway. If Twelve does something better than Eleven, it's comedy. Bernie Mac is the movie's only comedian, but all the actors pitch in. Julia Roberts plays a s-h-o-c-k-i-n-g role, George Clooney fears his grey hairs make him look old, and Brad Pitt is probably the funniest of all. ('Look, it's not in my nature to be mysterious. But I can't talk about it, and I can't talk about why.')

The Bottom Line is that Ocean's 12 brings back the beloved characters, actors, and director of 2001's Ocean's 11. The story is convoluted and just about unnecessary – the movie's about style, the substance is less important – but if you can keep up and keep interested it's something that can still be enjoyed. If Twelve is good for nothing else, many will enjoy the multimillionaires making fun of themselves (just wait for the Julia Roberts twist). It may look like fuzzy math, but Ocean's Twelve is far less than Eleven plus one.