Ocean's Thirteen

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Action & Adventure

Frank and company never thought of doing a sequel. In the original “Ocean’s Eleven”, Frank Sinatra and his “Rat Pack” were just doing films for fun, as a way to bring the gang together for their fans. When director Steven Soderbergh joined George Clooney and Brad Pitt to make their remake in 2001, it had that same feel, of a film done by friends, not taking itself too seriously. That light-hearted tone helped make the 2001 version a huge success, resulting in two sequels: 2004’s “Ocean’s Twelve” and the recently released “Ocean’s Thirteen”.

I thought that “Ocean’s Twelve” was a bit of a mess, quite honestly. The numerous twists and the irreverent banter between characters sometimes made me feel like the filmmakers were trying to be too smart or too cool for their audience. Perhaps taking the characters out of Las Vegas and putting them in Europe affected the film’s dynamic, but that film was, in hindsight, a disappointment. Still, I was willing to give Soderbergh, Clooney, Pitt, and their gang another shot with this third installment.

Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) invests money in a new Las Vegas casino. Despite warnings from his friends, he still decides to trust Willie Bank (Al Pacino), a notorious developer who always stabs his partners in the back. Reuben is no different, and he suffers a heart attack. Danny Ocean (Clooney) and company decide that they must get justice for Reuben by any means necessary, even if that means bringing down Willy’s new casino, “The Bank” by rendering it useless. Each member of this motley crew plays their part to perfection, even as they join forces with old enemy Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) for added cash. What follows harkens back to the coolness of the first “Ocean” without the over-convoluted explanations of the second film.

Some might say that “Thirteen” suffers from not having both Tess Ocean (Julia Roberts( and Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones) in it, instead being essentially replaced by Abigail Sponder (Ellen Barkin). While that both Tess and Isabel were referred to by Danny and Rusty (Pitt), they’re never seen, and Barkin comes across as a poor substitute. Still, whereas the first film revolved around Danny, the second had Rusty at its center, this one focused on Linus (Matt Damon). It seems to follow the seniority of the three actors playing the characters.

With a return to Las Vegas, the film returns to the bright lights and gambling background of “Eleven”. The twists we’ve come to expect are still there of course, as well as the montages that Soderbergh uses to heighten viewer anxiety and increase the drama. Compared to “Twelve” however, this latest chapter has less of the melodrama that revolved around Zeta-Jones’ character, and focused on a simple tale of revenge and oneupsmanship. That’s what makes it work.

The ensemble cast is pretty much in full force this time around too. The Amazing Yen (Shaobo Qin) gets to act a bit more, Frank Catton (Bernie Mac) isn’t just languishing in some prison, while the Malloy Brothers (Scott Caan and Casey Affleck) are back at their bickering best. It’s still fun to see Saul Bloom (Carl Reiner) conning his way through the casino, as well as watching both Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison) and Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle) do their thing. With Reuben as their rallying point, Danny’s crew delivers revenge in a classy, witty package that will make you wish you were in Vegas playing the tables with them.