I was catching an episode of Bones the other day. And one of the characters posed the question, what is your favorite theft movie? I know, hands down that my favorite theft movie is also my favorite movie, period. The film in question is not “Thief with Jimmy Caan” nor is it Rififi. The film in question is Ocean’s Eleven. And I’m not talking the rat pack original. I am talking about the 2001 remake with a star-studded cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts. This was a film that included a cool but gritty motif, catchy but chill soundtrack, and a brilliant script that remains humble to the 1960 classic from which it originated.
Ocean’s Eleven was originally a rat pack movie. Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin held the roles that George and Brad took over. The story is about a career thief who doesn’t waste time after being paroled from the New Jersey clink and gets his team of bandits together to knock over 3 Las Vegas casinos during a fight night. (COMMENT: Yea….ol’ Blue Eyes was a total underachiever going for just one!) The storyline involves not only the drive to gain mucho dinero, but also there’s the angle of George’s character trying to get back with his ex-wife (played by the timeless beauty Julia Roberts) who apparently is with the ruthless Terry Benedict (played by the equally legendary Andy Garcia). (COMMENT: Oh btw…Gorgeous George goes one step farther….Benedict owns the casinos Clooney’s character wants to knock over!)
Rounding out the story is the unique roster of characters. The title refers to the eleven men in the crew pulling off the heist. Each one has their own set of skills including pick-pocketing, surveillance, demolitions, transportation, and straight up con artistry. Some are seasoned veterans, others are old dinosaurs that won’t retire until the game retires them, and some are young pups that bring a new act and style to the table. But each one is highly quotable and highly sarcastic.
The actors clearly brought their own senses of humor to their roles, and it is evident they just had fun in these roles. This line-up of fantastic actors also serves as a perfect example of a point I had voiced in a previous post. Tom Cruise is not “The Last Movie Star”. A good amount of the cast is roughly Tom Cruise’s age, but at least half of them are actually younger than him, making them likely to still be going in their respective careers after Tom is no longer making movies. (COMMENT: God knows he might break a leg jumping from one building to the next or pass out hanging on to a biplane…oh wait, he already did.)
Most heist films have a film noir feel to them. Thief, Heat, Heist, the Score, etc. All of them had a dark gritty noir tale and motif. Ocean’s Eleven brings in the film noir too. (COMMENT: yea….flipped on its head!) The film noir genre not only paints dark and gritty portraits in their stories, but they also tend to leave the audience constantly guessing and wanting more and more intrigue. That’s where Soderbergh cashes in his skills as a director in the genre. It’s not uncommon for audiences to have puzzling thoughts while watching Ocean’s Eleven because you’re trying to constantly figure out what exactly the play by play of the theft is. As you watch this rag-tag bunch do what they do best, you’re inhuman if you don’t have this thought at least once “There’s no way this ill work.” (COMMENT: The best plans in history have often come with those very words tattooed on the architects!)
The music in Ocean’s Eleven is what truly rounds out the cool, noir, energetic film. David Holmes did a fantastic score consisting of big band, electronica, rat pack classics, and soothing strings. Each track is brilliantly placed in the film and will either get your blood pumping with adrenaline, get you just relaxing and taking in all of the sights and adventure, or just simply cool you down just so you can get more fun further in the film.
This film has got it all. Catchy soundtrack, brilliant script, amazing story, and a star-studded cast. I know there’s not much snark or a lot of in-depth explanations for this review. To be honest, that’s by design. I have a challenge for anyone I recommend this film to…find something wrong. Because truthfully, this is my one movie. This is the film where I can sit and watch it no matter which scene I come in at. Am I saying this film will be loved by everyone? Yes.
Am I saying everyone will admit it? No….some people are just in denial.
