Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here. I missed this week’s screenings of this, and the word I’m hearing so far is that it’s the most pure fun of the three films in the series. But what did Memflix, who’s actually seen it, think?
Memflix back once again, with a look at #4 of of the summer's 6 'three-quels,' 'Ocean's 13' (Hollywood loves a good number game). There is very little point in spending time detailing why ‘Ocean’s 11’ worked and ‘Ocean’s 12’ didn’t. If you saw both, you know the answer. Even the filmmakers know. ‘11’ was light, funny, fresh, and entertaining. ‘12’ was contrived, stale, and pretentious. Soderbergh admitted that ‘12’ had its faults and made a promise that ‘Ocean’s 13’ would be a return to form to what made his first film a highly engaging caper with an all-star cast. I am pleased to report that he and everyone involved delivered on his promise. This may not be saying much, but out of all the three-quels so far this summer ('Spider-Man 3', 'Shrek The Third', 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End), ‘Ocean’s 13’ is by far the best.(Between 'Rush Hour 3' and 'The Bourne Ultimatum',we all know only Bourne stands a chance at rising to the top) The only attribute that makes '11' superior to '13,' is freshness. ‘Ocean’s 13’ not only returns us to Las Vegas , but it adds a new motivation to drive our gang of con men and thieves-revenge. Reuben Tishcoff (Elliot Gould) collaborates with a casino tycoon, Willie Bank (Al Pacino), to build the ultimate gaming house, against his friend Danny Ocean ’s advice. Bank took his money and contacts, leaving Reuben high and dry. Because of Reuben’s trusting nature and naiveté, his heart breaks (literally, myocardial infarction). Now all of the principle players {Bernie Mac (Frank Catton), Scott Caan (Turk Malloy), Casey Affleck (Virgil Malloy), Don Cheadle (Basher Tarr), Carl Reiner (Saul Bloom), Matt Damon (Linus Caldwell), Shaebo Qin (Yen), Eddie Jemison (Livingston Dell),Brad Pitt (Rusty Ryan), and George Clooney (Danny Ocean) (Remembering the characters names helps keep track of who’s doing what)} have returned to exact revenge on Bank. Rusty’s love interest from the second, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Danny’s wife Julia Roberts, stay home. Their absence is explained away convincingly, “It’s not their fight,” says Danny. Watching the gang brainstorm ways of getting even with Bank (their initial idea of killing him and disposing of the body was hilarious, as all players chimed in on the idea) at the beginning, clearly showed that the gang is indeed back. They instead, decide on rigging the games in the casino that Banks took from Reuben. The idea is too give back to the public from the ‘house always wins’ casino. Their goal is to rip off Bank’s casino to the tune of $500 million. What makes the scheme even better than the one in ‘Ocean’s 11’ is that it doesn’t line the principle player’s pockets; it lines the public’s. I have always been against the very idea of gambling. I know we all have free will and should spend our money how we wish, but casinos are nothing more than a legal fraud run by billionaires who profit on the misfortune and optimistic nature of the common person. It is obvious to me that the filmmakers feel the same way Most of the fun is watching the methods of trickery develop. Each character has a skill and watching each one use that skill, is engaging. The gang is more confident, more laid back in their self-assuredness. This helps ease the flow of the proceedings. These guys aren’t doing it for the paycheck. They're doing it all for Reuben. They even go broke putting it all together. Another new dynamic is the concept of maturity. Danny and Rusty are settling down with their better halves. They don’t fight against it. They let it envelope their lives. Joining the ranks of adulthood has given them what they have always lacked, sensitivity. If you’ve seen the trailer, then you’ve seen the Oprah Winfrey bit. I was afraid the scene was going to be too sappy to bear, but it came off as endearing, which frankly, shocked me. The casino mogul Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), a villain in the last two, is back. However, his desire to take down his competitor, Willie banks motivates him to join the gang. They all loathe the man, but see him as the lesser of the two evils and recruit him. The idea of allying with an enemy to take down another is a common device, but it is used for a gag and it works. Garcia maintains the sleaze of Benedict and it has never been funnier. Al Pacino plays a villain, yet again. However, Pacino proves once more, why he is one of the best actors working today. Every villainous role he takes on seems brand new. Bank has no qualms in how he makes his money. This is what tells us he’s a villain, not just Pacino’s mere presence. In ‘Ocean’s 12’, the crew bitched and moaned throughout. For the first 2/3s of the film, we were lead to believe they were falling apart and that their caper would fail because of it. Then at the end, they tell you that they were just faking it and working well together all along with a detailed plan in place. This lack of camaraderie is what bogged it down. Soderbergh and company must have looked back at the finished product and seen the problem, because they clearly made a conscious decision to fix it. I could fill pages on all the gags and bits that made me smile, but what kind of fun would that are. The best way to view this is too remember ‘11’ and forget ‘12’. If you go in knowing that the look and feel has been restored, instead of trying to wait for it to fail (Like I did for the first 30 minutes), then I truly believe you will be amused and entertained. A group of friends coming together to aid a fallen friend, has given the much-needed warmth to what has been such a cold summer.
