Ocean's Eleven (2001)

I got two words for you, mini-bar. Literally fresh out of prison, Danny Ocean is busy setting up a seemingly impossible robbery. The plan, along with ten other experts he has roped in, is to rob the main vault at Las Vegas that houses the takings from the three main casinos. The original Ocean's 11 released in 1960 is an OK film, more watchable for the Vegas setting and the irrepressible cast of Rat Packers than for any purpose or structure. That this Steven Soderbergh remake trumps t...

Really good watch, would watch again, and can recommend. As far as heist movies go, it's excellent, but I think I'm very picky when it comes to heist movies. In order to get me behind the criminal protagonist, it needs to be overly complex, but not complicated, and there needs to be an alternative motive, such as "get the girl". This entire franchise does a decent job of this, keeping the motives and implementations interesting. Part of the problem with that is that b...

**My favorite movie of all time! A must-see!** Ocean's Eleven greatest strength is its emersion of the audience into the midst of a story already in motion. The pacing isn't weighed down by exposition; instead, the viewer discovers important history and surprises simultaneously as the characters on screen. The absolutely brilliant cast is effortlessly charming, whose antics and charisma fuel the movie to be a wonderful ride from start to finish. You can't help but feel welcomed...

This new version of the classic heist movie is of course slick: sharply written, acted competently, the stunts and special effects well-made. Still, I can’t say I liked it too much. It was sufficient to entertain, I suppose, but will quickly fade from memory. Then again, the action drama genre is not what I call home. You throw in some humor and you stand a chance of holding my attention, which it just about managed. The hero wanting to get his ex-back is easy to cause traps of stereotypica...

As remakes go - I think we will struggle to find one that is better than this across any genre. It's not just that the cast is full of A-listers, it is that Steven Soderbergh has invested just as much time with his story and with the characterisations as he has with the visuals, the gadgets and, of course, just about everyone from Brad Pitt and George Clooney to Julia Roberts and Matt Damon. The premiss being that Clooney "Danny" assembles a group of skilled operators with a view ...