Ocean’s Thirteen

Posted by Loukas Tsouknidas (loukas@filmschoolrejects.com) on June 8, 2007

There are moments when certain one-liners come to my mind from the old TV watching days,I watch too much cinema and sports now so TV series are not an option. Coming out of the “Ocean’s 13” screening I recalled what Parker Lewis,who, just like Danny Ocean, couldn’t possibly lose- used to say: achieved coolness.

Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould) is scammed by his partner-to-be Willie Bank (Al Pacino) and falls into a shock situation. Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) can’t let Bank get away with this. After all, you never mistreat someone who shook Sinatra’s hand says an old Vegas code. The usual gang gets together, plots and schemes but this time the task is difficult. Danny’s guys are after all… analog crooks in a digital world. Things turn around again when Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) decides to fund them against his new enemy. Only he wants back double and Bank’s diamonds. Nothing is impossible when you got money, brains, work ethic and some fatherly help…

The guys who wrote “Rounders” took up the task of scripting this third installment of the ultimate con-artist movie franchise that Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney built. The result is very good, a story that feels old school though it happens in the modern world, a contradiction that is constantly reflected in Danny and Rusty’s little talks. The snappy dialogues are full of self-mockery, the genre’s cliches are laughed at and the characters are cool as ever. They also try to explain everything sufficiently though i don’t think anyone would pay so much attention.

What’s important is that the writers probably had a lot of fun and so did everyone involved. I can’t think of any other movie that most celeb actors would stand in line for a cameo at.

Steven Soderbergh manages to entertain in the contemporary sense without losing that retro feeling for a moment or using any massively impressive scenes at all. He knows exactly how to do it after the first two films and it feels like he can go on for sequels to come. Matching split screens and Vegas music simply can’t be wrong. Plus, he compiled a great company of actors that show some excellent chemistry on screen. Bernie Mac introducing casino domino? ‘Nuff said.

There isn’t much to complain about. Even if there was, it’s a feel-good movie and if you think it’s not funny… well, it sure as hell is not sad.

Read more articles by Loukas Tsouknidas