In 2001, director Steven Soderbergh turned a bland and boring Rat Pack flick into a chic, stylish, star-studded joyride. “Ocean’s 11” was more than just one of Soderbergh’s Hollywood moneymakers. It was a well-made, enjoyable film with more style and intelligence than the majority of studio creations. After doing two smaller films – 2002’s “Full Frontal” and “Solaris” – it was time for him to do his occasional crowd pleaser, this time the sequel to his last hit, “Ocean’s 12.”
Luckily, everyone from the last movie returned for another adventure in big-time heisting. Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his gang must pay back all the money plus interest that they stole from casino owner Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). With two weeks to pull off the job, and no available target in the States, the crew heads over to Europe in search of any big payoff they can find. Meanwhile, Europol detective Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a former girlfriend to Rusty (Brad Pitt), is hot on the trail of them and another high profile thief known only as the “Nightfox.” A thief’s challenge ensues after Danny meets the Nightfox, wherein the first to steal a valuable Russian coronation egg will be known as the best thief in the world.
As intricate as it sounds, there are even more subplots and diversions created throughout the film, all of which appear to be good ideas in themselves. But combined into one film, the movie feels overly jumbled. Part of the charm of the first film was its very simple and focused plot – 11 guys try to steal a lot of money from a high security casino. There were numerous twists and turns, but there was always a central focus.
In this one, there is never that focus, but rather too many stylish distractions. For instance, the first job that the crew undertakes – and which the film spends almost 20 minutes on – is a lower profile theft of the first piece of stock in the world. They go to great lengths to steal it, and it is all very impressive, but these 20 minutes are wasted on Danny’s introduction to the Nightfox. It seems natural that a film with so many characters would involve as many plots, but that certainly didn’t plague “Ocean’s 11.” This film is really a four-hour film cut in half, and wrapped up in some very convoluted logic.
But all this is not to say that the movie isn’t fun. Like the first film, “Ocean’s 12” has all the charm, wit and style to make it a pleasurable experience. Matt Damon and Brad Pitt especially share some very funny moments together, and a cameo by Topher Grace is by far the most humorous part of the film. The film looks great and will entertain throughout, but once the second hour hits, there is no reason to attempt to follow the plot. Just let these A-listers go about their merry way and have fun while it happens, but don’t expect the same thrills or any sense of satisfaction at the film’s conclusion. Instead, wait and hope that any sequels will be more focused.
Jason Bolte can be reached at [email protected].
