Today’s quick review: Ocean’s Thirteen. When real estate mogul Willy Bank (Al Pacino) cheats Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) out of his share of their new casino, his friends Danny Ocean (George Clooney), Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), and their crew reunite to rob the casino of as much money as possible on its opening night. But with $500 million to steal and a state-of-the-art security system to contend with, they have their work cut out for them.
Ocean’s Thirteen is a crime comedy with an ensemble cast and the third movie in the Ocean’s Eleven series. Nearly all of the original cast members return, with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon headlining a cast that contains Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, and newcomer Al Pacino as Willy Bank, an unsympathetic developer who prides himself on his luxury hotels. The only missing faces are Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Ocean’s Thirteen is a return to roots for the franchise. Once again Danny Ocean finds himself up against a casino owner against whom he has a personal grudge, and once again his crew must infiltrate and scheme their way through a casino’s impenetrable security. The humor comes from the banter between the colorful characters, while the excitement comes from their intricate plan to pull off the impossible.
Where Ocean’s Twelve was experimental to a fault, Ocean’s Thirteen plays it safe with a linear plot, conventional humor, and an obvious antagonist. The movie still keeps one or two tricks up its sleeves, but the twists are neither as elaborate as the ones in Ocean’s Twelve nor as satisfying as the ones in Ocean’s Eleven. The plan does have a nice progression to it, with a few clever schemes along the way, making the plot of the movie straightforward but entertaining.
The rest of the film follows a similar pattern: straightforward and lacking any glaring weaknesses. Willy Bank makes for a less nuanced villain than Terry Benedict, but his obnoxious attitude makes him a good target. Reuben’s suffering gives the film its emotional heart, a weaker subplot than Danny and Tess’s relationship in the first film, but a viable one nonetheless. The humor dials down the extremes of Ocean’s Twelve but still manages to amuse.
Watch Ocean’s Thirteen if you are in the mood for a light heist film with a decent plot, a good sense of humor, and a talented cast. While not the iconic film the original was, Ocean’s Thirteen makes for an entertaining watch without any major flaws. Skip it if you enjoyed the first film and would rather leave it on its pedestal.
6.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for being a tidy heist film with good dialogue and a great cast.