Ocean's Thirteen

Director: Steven Soderburgh
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, Elliot Gould, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck
Running Time: 122 min.
Rating: PG-13

**1/2 (out of ****)

If there's a common thread that links the Ocean's films it's that they all feel like they were more fun to make than watch. That's not to say they're not fun to watch because they are and Ocean's Thirteen, which is a marked improvement over the first sequel, is no exception. Still, I bet they had more fun making it. I just read a book, Rebels on the Backlot, that chronicles how six "maverick" directors stormed Hollywood and changed the face of the film industry. Those directors are Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher, Paul Thomas Anderson, David O. Russell, Spike Jonze…and Steven Soderbergh. When I finished it I couldn't shake this nagging feeling that one of those names just didn't fit. I'll let you take a wild guess which one.

In recent years it seems no director has been less of a rebel or has gone more "Hollywood" than Soderbergh, foregoing his earlier risk taking projects to make movies like this. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that but there comes a point where enough is enough. I think we've reached that point with Soderbergh and while this Ocean's franchise may have been mildly enjoyable an overall aura surrounds them that Soderbergh has been wasting his considerable talent and should move on to something more ambitious. Not necessarily over-ambitious (like Traffic), but something with more substance.

Ocean's Thirteen is an enjoyable and entertaining flick that carries with it a "been there, done that" vibe it can't seem shake no matter how fun it is at times so I can't fully get behind it and give it a strong recommendation. Fans of the series will enjoy it though and for everybody else there is at least a bravura supporting performance from one of our greatest actors to keep you engaged.

The gang is all back again and the list of names is simply too long to get into, but as usual the major players are Danny Ocean (George Clooney), Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), and Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon). Part of me was hoping they'd just skip the formalities this time and call them George, Brad and Matt. It really doesn't make much of a difference. This time they're out to destroy the obnoxious and arrogant Willie Bank (Al Pacino) who screwed Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould) out of a partnership in his new Vegas casino, "The Bank," the stress of which sent him to the hospital with a heart attack.

The plan is for the group to $250 million dollars in diamonds, which is more difficult than ever considering Bank's casino has the most state of the art security system in history. It'll take time and money. They seem to have the former, but for the latter they go visit their old nemesis casino kingpin Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), who has an ax to grind with Bank, but could also have some devious tricks up his sleeve.

After re-introducing the characters and introducing us to Bank the rest of the film, just like the rest, is spent exploring every single detail of the complicated heist. And also, like the previous two films, despite it being laughably implausible, it's undeniably fascinating to watch. For anyone who's ever been to Vegas or is intimately familiar with gambling it'll be even more fun. The movie is a procedural through and through, but the material is lifted to a slightly higher level because the actors look like they're having fun with the breezy, witty dialogue and Soderburgh has a great eye for visuals.

It does help when you have a great director behind the camera of a creatively modest picture like this one. If you didn't already want to go to Vegas (and who doesn't?), by the time this film's over you'll have probably booked yourself a flight. Upping the energy quotient is Pacino, who chews and spits out scenery as this prickly egomaniac. Without his commanding and oversized presence in that role we probably wouldn't care one way or another if the guys pulled this off and this popcorn movie would be even fluffier than it already is. As per the norm with the Ocean's movies, it ends exactly how you'd expect: With a whimper, not a bang.

The movie does have two sub-plots that were hilarious. One involves David Paymer as the V.U.P. staying at Bank's hotel, while the other follows Damon's character's attempts to seduce and manipulate Bank's assistant (played by Ellen Barkin) while donning a prosthetic nose. Outside of Barkin this is the first of the three films that doesn't seem to have much of a female presence at all as Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones decided to sit this final round out. I can't say I blame them. It would just be a paycheck role with no sustaining value to their career.

As funny as the interplay between Damon and Barkin is it's clear Barkin isn't given anything that resembles a character and was just thrown in so everyone can compliment her on what a "cougar" she is and how she looks so great for her age. Hollywood loves a comeback so Soderburgh probably made it a special point to cast her. After all, what are any of these Ocean's films except the self-congratulatory spectacle of Hollywood translated to the silver screen? If we walked around the soundstage with a camcorder we probably wouldn't see anything that isn't already onscreen and anyone who enjoys watching Clooney and Pitt (who's given ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do here) massage one another's egos for two hours will probably enjoy in this. Even if you don't you'll still probably find something else to enjoy because, admittedly, the whole thing is fluffy, but kind of fun.

There's a real old-fashioned "Rat Pack" feel to the picture that starts with the retro opening credit sequence and continues right until the finale. As I watched this I couldn't help but picture someone sitting next to me on the couch. He'd be about 70 years-old, in a suit, wearing a bowler hat and chomping on a cigar. When the film ends he turns to me and says, "That was SNAZZY!" That's what we're dealing with here. If you're into that kind of thing you'll have a great time. If you're like me and never really understood the appeal of these films you'll still be serviceably entertained. Anyone who skips this though isn't missing anything. It's the same as the rest, give or take a few plot points.

Soderburgh's had his fun and I do think it's kind of cool and endearing that a maverick indie director wanted to dabble in the mainstream Now it's time to move on and start making real movies again. I wouldn't include Out of Sight, The Limey or Solaris on any list of my favorite films but I at least respected the ambition and creative vision behind them. Ocean's Thirteen is fun, but ultimately very empty. If you've seen one, you've seen them all.