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  Richard
  
Attwood
Ocean's Eleven
USA, 2001
[Steven Soderbergh]
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia
Crime / Comedy
  
A remake of an old brat-pack caper, current Hollywood hot property Soderbergh directs a cast of similarly heavyweight names, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts. Clooney plays newly released criminal Danny Ocean, who within hours of convincing the parole board of his reformation is rounding up old partners to try and pull of his biggest heist yet. The targets are three Las Vegas casinos in one night (although they only share one vault so it�s only one job really), fight night when the vault will be full of cash to cover bets.

His eleven crew members each have their own talent such as surveillance, shadowing or acrobatics and together they hatch an elaborate and daring raid. Unfortunately it will also be expensive and so they have to beg funding from the casino owner�s rival. Things get complicated when it turns out that same owner is dating Ocean�s ex-wife.

The cast are all pretty much playing to their strengths. Clooney is debonair and charming, Pitt plays pretty-boy style and Damon the na�ve new kid. Don Cheadle is as effortlessly cool as usual, but I�m sorry � he may be one of the best supporting actors around however that is not an English accent. Why do they force characters to be Brits and then get Americans to play them, when you could get a real Brit or just make the guy a Yank? Especially when the role is so small, which is what applies to most of the rest of the cast as they only really feature in their introductory scene and then do little else.

This means a great turn by Elliott Gould as the hammy rival is underused, as in fact is Roberts, who for the most part just has to look uncomfortable in restaurants. Andy Garcia makes the best use of his brief time to make an impression as the casino owner who is not a nice guy but probably doesn�t deserve to get robbed either. So these people are underdeveloped as we see them plan the heist and reconnoiter the casinos; which is what most of the film is made up of. This means it really isn�t at all exciting until the end and so the payoff has to be extra good. Which it doesn�t manage. Before this there aren�t enough other threads to the plot or big events leading up to the robbery for either excitement or anticipation to be raised.

So what we have is an undeniably great cast playing their safety roles, which is no bad thing when they are all put together on the one screen, and an interesting main plot which has a big concept and typical Soderbergh humour and repartee. It�s no bad film, but if you want a good Soderbergh/Clooney/Cheadle (even David Holmes� music) crime caper then
Out of Sight is leagues ahead of Ocean�s Eleven in terms of plot, character and outright stylishness. Hell, if you want Brad Pitt, crime, plot lines and Cockneys then Snatch is where you should look first. Only then should you watch Ocean�s Eleven and you�ll probably think, like me, that is was okay but nothing spectacular.
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