Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien
Runtime: 122 minutes, Released on: June 8, 2007
Review by: Ben Tay
In Ocean’s Thirteen, Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his loyal gang of thieves reassemble once more to teach a slimy casino owner (Al Pacino) a lesson after he double-crosses team member Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould) in a side deal. Director Steven Soderbergh also returns, and while he does manage to get the franchise back on track, the film never quite manages to shake off its “been there-done that” feel.
Few will deny that Ocean’s Thirteen is an entertaining and fun time. The entire cast genuinely appears to be enjoying themselves and their well-publicized off-set chemistry clearly translates into the film, infusing the movie with a very loose and breezy vibe. However, if you feel like you’ve seen this movie before, it’s because you have. It was called Ocean’s Eleven. Sure the motive is personal this time around, the heist is a little more sophisticated (or absolutely ludicrous depending on how much you’re willing to suspend your disbelief), and some new characters have been thrown in for good measure, but the film essentially remains a rehash.
There are a lot of things to recommend about Ocean’s Thirteen. The film thankfully improves upon the terrible and snobby Ocean’s Twelve, while maintaining its infectious slick and laid-back style. Pacino is also expectedly wonderful as the backstabbing villain and makes for a fine addition to the already top-notch cast. But as pleasant as the film is, the gang’s antics are beginning to wear a tad thin and predictable, suggesting that Ocean and company should probably call it a day unless they have a real reason to reunite.
| Mike Sez: The first Ocean's movie was so good, it's pretty much impossible to top. The second film tried to do something different, and while it didn't entirely succeed, it's not nearly as bad as most people make it out to be. This one tries to go back to what made the first one successful (the Las Vegas scenery, the increased emphasis on the boys planning and carrying out a big job), but also fails to recapture the magic of the original. I still enjoyed it, but I think it's the weakest of the three films.
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