| Product: |
Ocean's Twelve (DVD) |
| Date: |
21.11.05 (207 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Great cast, some very witty lines, Vincent Cassel
Disadvantages: Too knowing, too smart and too crowded
Ocean’s Eleven was a high tech, super smooth, witty caper film that dramatically raised the levels for all heist movies that would follow. Possessing a star cast and a sly, knowing script it was one of the most entertaining films of 2001.
Now Danny Ocean and his team are about to suffer the repercussions of their successful removal of millions of dollars from the casinos of Terry Benedict. Somehow or other Benedict has managed to track down the whole team, now separated and all over the world, and tells them that they have two weeks to return his money to him, with interest, or he will terminate them!
Danny brings his team back together for a meeting to decide how they are going to deal with Benedicts threats, or promises. Knowing they have no choice in the matter, and that they are now persona non grata in America thanks to Benedict, their only option is to pull another scam, one that will net them, at the very least, the $96 million they are short on the money they owe (some of them having spent all or most the money they made while other having invested it).
With time against them they fly to Europe looking for a target big enough to save their lives! They obviously find a target but the task is can they put a plan together to get the money in so short a time? Can the team work together again? What does the Dutch Police inspector (Catherine Zeta Jones) have to do with things and how does the French superstar Vincent Cassell fit into things? And of course to us the viewer can the con be as complicated and spectacular as the original?
Guess you will have to go and see it to find out, if you liked Ocean’s Eleven you will like this, maybe not as much though!
Oceans Twelve brings back all the original cast and adds Zeta Jones and Cassell (the main man in my opinion!) in major parts. There is also a whole host of big names in smaller parts, Eddie Izzard, Robbie Coltrane and Bruce Willis (in an uncredited appearance and taking the mick out of himself like no other actor since the Burt Reynolds/Clint Eastwood team up City Heat) standing out especially.
The opening scenes with Rusty (Pitt) and his current beau and then Danny Ocean (Clooney) and Tess (Roberts) not only set the scene marvellously but allows you to see how both characters have evolved since the original…… not much would be the answer! Rusty is still the con man on the make and Ocean is still using his charm and patter to get what he wants.
We then segue into a quick series of brief sequences where we see what the other nine are up to just before Benedict turns up to threaten them. Reintroducing us to the group in a way that enhances the story while doing so. In fact the clip where Basher Tarr (Cheadle) is a cleverly worked comment on the state of music, he is in a music studio where he and another Englishman bemoan the rap song they are mixing by swearing non stop, the bleeps on the actual record also beeping out their own swearing, very smartly edited indeed!
There are a multitude of stylish scenes; Soderbergh working overtime in this film, and some incredibly innovative scene changes, in particular the use of still photos that suddenly come to life is very effective.
The wordplay between the characters is a joy to listen to, especially between Danny and Rusty, the in jokes to the real/our world and the knowing smiles on their faces brought many a wry grin to my own face! The real world is even more deftly blended in with the films reality when Tess is brought in as the twelfth member, in a long sequence that is one of the funniest moments in a film for ages!
Affleck, Casey that is, and Clooney have an amusing chat about age and for those of the football persuasion there is even the Arsenal team to spot. Are they the real players? I think so but I don’t know them well enough to know for sure. I am sure a fan would be naming them as they got on the bus!
Soderbergh direction is full of deft touches, stylish scene changes, unusual angles and makes perfect use of all the stars. Quite often a star-studded cast doesn’t work, too many cooks spoil the broth kind of thing, but Soderbergh manages to make good use of all his mega stars without playing to their egos or making the screen seem to crowded, a rare talent indeed even if we expect it from such a talented director!
A mention has to be made of Cassell, he is a fine actor who is a megastar in France but hasn’t really made any sort of break into Hollywood movies, probably because he doesn’t wish to. In this though he is just superb, his Gallic charm oozing out as he gets into competition with Danny and he is probably the best new character in the film!
Somehow though it just doesn’t really work, amusing and humorous is about right for a description of Ocean’s Twelve. It is good but it’s just that by trying too hard to one up the first film it just goes a bit too far. The plot flies around all over the place, jetting from America to Europe and visiting cities all over the place. It just isn’t as focused as Ocean’s Eleven and for me it loses out because of that.
I will add though that I have this feeling that when I finally see this again I will love it and wonder why I had any sort of uncertainties over it, sometimes that happens!
Top Quote: “It is not in my nature to be mysterious but I cannot tell you and don’t ask why!”
Extras:
Well the version i saw had none at all. Having searched around on the net in case the one I borrowed was as dodgy as Ocean's crew it seems there are not any extras on this, which is as criminal as the story. There is so much they could have added to this, especially as i have this feeling they cut a lot from it to make it flow better.
Summary: Tries to hard to match the first one and just doesn't manaage it.
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