Ocean's Eleven (2002, DVD)

I'm going on record right now and I will say that I am both a sucker for "caper" films as well as most things Las Vegas. Of course, there are a couple of exceptions to my Las Vegas affection. For one, you must represent gambling correctly. I don't ask for a tremendous amount of detail or even to make it flattering, just don't have a craps scene where there are tons of chips on the numbers and the shooter rolls a seven and the dealers shout, "Seven, everyone wins!" Second, please film in an actual casino, or create a set that looks realistic. I know it's expensive, but accuracy is so important (at least to me). Needless to say, Ocean's Eleven meets both of my Las Vegas requirements as well as the "caper" aspect of my thesis. My only concern was how this film was going to be screwed up.

There's always a concern when you bring several big names together onto one film project. Ocean's Eleven throws three superstars, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, along with several other big name actors into a film with acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh. Could everyone's egos step aside to give the entire cast appropriate screen time? Could Soderbergh maintain order on an obviously hectic set? Could the cast get enough hours of blackjack in a day and still complete the film on time? Serious question, they all are.

We begin the film as Danny Ocean (George Clooney) is in the middle of his parole hearing. Amazingly, it is granted and he's out of there. We then cut to Rusty (Brad Pitt) helping out some teen movie stars with their poker skills. Rusty takes a break and when he returns, Danny has pulled up a chair at the table. With ease, he manages to take the kids money. If stealing were always this easy.

Danny immediately lets Rusty in on his plans. He wants to knock off the three biggest casinos in Las Vegas, The Mirage, The Bellagio and the MGM Grand. Impossible you may ask. Well, not with the assistance of 9 others to be apart of the group. We then see Danny and Rusty begin to recruit the other members of the crew. Each one has a special talent or skill that somehow is going to help out on the heist.

The mark for the theft is Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). He owns the casinos and also is dating Danny's ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts). Does Danny really want the money or is his main goal to get his wife back? Rusty tries to keep him in line, but after Linus (Matt Damon) catches on, Danny is out of the con and sent to the sidelines. The rest of the group continues on with a series of small cons that all lead up to the big one. Will they succeed? You'll have to watch to find out.

The first thing you'll notice about Ocean's Eleven is the tremendous and incredibly likable cast. Along with the aforementioned Clooney, Pitt, Damon, Roberts, and Garcia, we get to watch the fine talents of Bernie Mac, Elliot Gould, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Carl Reiner, Don Cheadle, Eddie Jemison and Shabo Gin or the rest of Ocean's eleven. The true standouts of the supporting players have to be Bernie Mac and Carl Reiner. Mac plays Frank Catton who's one of the inside men with the role of a black jack dealer. He's funny and instantly likable. Carl Reiner is also wonderful as Saul Bloom. He is the high roller who has probably the most important job, to befriend Benedict. While Benedict doesn't completely trust him, he has no real reason not to. Reiner is mesmerizing as Bloom and his alter ego Zerga.

Clooney and Pitt play two of the coolest characters you'll ever see on the big screen. They also seem like they are having more fun than actors should. Never for one-second do you think they aren't completely in control of the situation. Sure, there are times when things don't quite go their way, but you know they're going to come out of the situation with barely a scratch. Garcia plays the heavy quite well. He clearly is in control of every situation, except for this one. It's interesting to watch him completely unravel as his begins to lose everything. The only two performances that I didn't enjoy were those of Roberts and Cheadle. Cheadle simply was given a lame cockney accent and it bugged me. Everything else he does is great. Roberts, on the other hand, is awful. I must confess that I rarely find her convincing in any role and I was angry during her scenes because she was screwing up my Las Vegas/caper film.

While the actor's personalities clearly add to the "coolness" of Ocean's Eleven, Soderbergh's direction takes it to the next level. He's always had his own style and he uses it so effectively in this film. The change of colors based on the locations is wonderful. Notice how during the recruiting of Linus in Chicago the picture is more washed out that during the same scenes with Frank. He also manages to capture the massiveness and lavishness of Las Vegas. You feel like you are really in The Bellagio baccarat room or at the MGM Grand Arena. That takes special talent and Soderbergh has it.

Needless to say, I purchased the DVD of Ocean's Eleven the day it was released and it has found itself in heavy rotation in my player ever since. Sure, the film itself is great, but there a few extras that make the DVD an even better purchase. There are two separate commentaries on the disc. One features director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Ted Griffen. There's a lot of good stuff on here. Las Vegas is an extremely difficult place to shoot and it's neat to hear how they got it done. The second commentary includes Matt Damon, Andy Garcia and Brad Pitt. This one is almost worth the price of the DVD itself. Pitt is hilarious. I have yet to hear him not completely crack me up on a commentary, which even includes Seven and Fight Club. You'll want to check this out. There are also two behind the scene documentaries that don't really offer too much, so go ahead and skip them.

I will not claim for one second that Ocean's Eleven is not relatively predictable. You've seen this type of film so many times and you surely know the ending. However, there are just too many other aspects that make it totally enjoyable. It's so fun to see these enjoyable actors lie, steal and cheat to achieve their goal. All the while, you can kind of see them winking at the camera. They know this film isn't terribly original (it's a remake for goodness sake), but if you come along for the ride, you're going to have a good time. It's beautifully shot and wonderfully acted and a thrilling ride. You must have this DVD on your shelf.