Movie Notes: Ocean’s Twelve

April 7th, 2008

Ocean's Twelve

starstarstar = 3 stars

Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Synopsis

Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) wants back the money the Ocean’s 11 gang stole from him. Leaders Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) come up with a plan to hit Amsterdam, Rome, and Paris in a series of audacious heists.

The Good

  • A slick style adornes scenes filled with slightly askew activity. Note the opening segment where Andy Garcia visits each of the Ocean’s Eleven members in various rooms, each shot in an interesting way. Other scenes are backed by continually groovy tuneage.
  • A solid core of Clooney, Pitt, and Damon.
  • Julia Roberts as Tess gets to play a funny part as herself, with a Bruce Willis cameo. Catherine Zeta Jones looks amazing just standing still.

The Bad

  • There’s little reason to have eleven members in this gang. Several don’t get to do much of anything, Eddie Izzard and Bernie Mac in particular.
  • One completely unbelievable (and laughable) scene where a thief literally dances his way through blue lasers.
  • Less glammy punch than Ocean’s Eleven, which was more tightly focused on one huge casino caper against a well-defined adversary. Twelve goes for more with two big capers, a competing super thief, and a romantic subplot with Pitt, but the result is mostly muddled and at times confusing.

Conclusion

While captivated by Ocean’s Eleven, I was bored by the plot details of Ocean’s Twelve. It does have snazzy music and Soderbergh’s creative camera moves (the zooming in as the gang is released from prison, or a sideways airplane shot). That’s kind of sad, but a fair description of this flick’s failings - more style than substance. It sounds like Ocean’s Thirteen rectified some of these issues, so I’ll rent that next.

IMBD: Ocean’s Twelve
Wikipedia: Ocean’s Twelve
Rotten Tomatoes: Ocean’s Twelve 55%

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  • When I saw it in theaters I thought it was just much too smug, but I watched it again the other night (weird that you wrote on it), and I actually like it. It's not great, but I really like the European angle and think Pitt is particularly good in it.
  • Agreed, it's possible on a second viewing I might like the film better. I
    may also have a different take on it after seeing Ocean's 13 and re-watching
    Ocean's 11 (which I also just rented).
  • Ocean's 12 was one of those films where it could have ended after 10 minutes and you wouldn't have known the difference, one of those films where at the end you think back over how you're never going to get that hour of your time back that was wasted in the middle section of the film.

    Oh, and the Julia Roberts thing, just ridiculous.

    Glad you liked it though ;)
  • I personally love this movie..not only is it funny..but c'mon it has great actor's in it..I like all the twist and turns in a movie..
  • Jeff
    Hated 12. Smug was the perfect word to describe it.
  • I remember reading that this was based on a script that was floating around Hollywood that was adapted to be a sequel to Ocean's 11, which may explain why it felt like some of the characters were completely unused.
  • Hits a new low in condescending facetiousness, with no fewer than 15 performers of varying talents, tongues firmly in cheeks, undercutting all the genre's action conventions while camping up a storm on two continents.
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