Ocean's Eleven (2008, Blu-ray Disc)

On December 30, I saw Ocean's 11, my final movie of 2001. I must say, what a way to end the year. I'm trying to think back to the other new movies I saw this year to compare. I'm drawing a blank, so I can't say this was the best, but if not, it's right up at the top.

This was a remake of a movie starring the Rat Pack. I've never seen that one, but from what I've heard, the original wasn't that great. It was merely a showcase for the Rat Pack. Whether or not that's true, the showcase aspect is not true of the 2001 version. It has quite a few big names, but it is the scheme, not the cast, that dominates.

Story
Danny Ocean has just gotten out of prison after four years and is already itching for another heist. He targets the Las Vegas casinos owned by Terry Benedict, the man who is dating his ex-wife. Ocean puts together a team of the greatest thieves in the country to help him walk away with the $160 million that is stored in the vault, which is heavily protected by cameras, lasers, and armed guards.

Our anti-heros begin an incredibly elaborate plan involving reconnaisance, disguises, and even duplicating the vault for practice. Every member of the team has a specific purpose and must work together to keep Benedict and his security team (and the audience) guessing.

They use a lot of high-tech equipment, which makes for some really cool action scenes. But the movie's main coolness comes from the surprises. The entire plan is not revealed until the end, so you never know if what you're seeing is real or merely the trickery they use on Benedict.

Cast
The ringleaders of the plan are George Clooney, who plays Danny Ocean, and Brad Pitt, Ocean's second in command. They are very convincing as the smooth, confident commanders. It's too bad that these two are often thought of guys women go crazy over because that might make some men a bit reluctant to see them. But the truth is that while they provide eye candy for women (as my girlfriend reminded me), they are also really enjoyable for men. Some of my favorite movies star Brad Pitt, although I am beginning to see that he plays a similar character in most of his films. Oh well, I guess Hollywood knows that when you need a cool character who always knows the right thing to say, Pitt can pull it off best.

Although they have the biggest parts, they do not overshadow the rest of the cast members, who also play their parts well. Carl Reiner gives a great performance as Saul, the retired thief who decides to give it one more go. Matt Damon plays the young pickpocket just breaking into the thieving business. The other characters' experience levels fall in between the levels of these two, but they all work well together.

Everyone assembled for this job has a specific role to play. They have a computer whiz, an explosives expert, and even an agile 95-pound youngster who can maneuver around the security lasers. The cast they found to play these people was wonderful, and they all made the importance of each member of the team shine through.

Andy Garcia plays Terry Benedict, the owner of the casino. He is very good as the villain. I realize what a tough role this was to play because he is the victim who is getting robbed. He had to be played in such a way that the audience doesn't sympathize with him. It was a tough job, but Garcia pulled it off.

Julia Roberts is also in it as Tess, Ocean's ex-wife and Benedict's new love. It's a part anyone could play, so I can't say Roberts did well or poorly. She was just there for added star power. But since there was plenty of star power already, maybe they could have allowed a lesser known actress get a big break. Oh well.

Ending
I liked the ending, or should I say endings? It seemed that there were a couple places the movie could have logically ended, but they kept going for a little more drama. Although I felt it could have ended a little earlier, I won't complain too much since what followed was also good. Besides, we would have missed out on some cool jokes in the final minutes. Overall, I was satisfied with this highly entertaining movie from beginning to end to end to end.