Ocean's Eleven (Widescreen Edition)

Ocean's Eleven (Widescreen Edition)

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DVD Cover Information

• TESTED OK
• 2002 DATE

Movie Reviews of Ocean's Eleven (Widescreen Edition)

Movie Review: Steven Soderbergh- Director and Magician
Summary: 5 Stars

Wonder-kid Soderbergh, not yet 40 at the time of this writing, made his first film back in 1989, "Sex, Lies, and Videotape." The production of that film is now made of legend(He wrote the movie during an eight-day drive to Hollywood on legal pads), and is today considered, by many critics, one of the first films to usher in the American independent era that dominated the 1990's.

After the smash hit of "Sex, Lies"(It won the Palme d' Or at Cannes), Sodbergh quickly returned behind the camera and continued to release films almost on a yearly basis throughout the 90's. Some of them were well received by critics and audiences("King of the Hill" is one of the great film of the 1990's)and others were not(I could have done without the murky "Kafka). Regardless, Soderbergh has never made a boring film, and he is one of dwindling number of younger directors who has a respect for the medium both as a historical institution and as an art form. It wasn't until 1998 that he hit his ultimate peak and, the beautiful thing about it, he has not slowed down since.

Within the last 4 years, he has released the neo-noir "Out of the Past"(also with Clooney), "The Limey"(an undisputed gem), and two film with social commentary, "Erin Brockovich" and "Traffic"(The film that gave him Best Director at the Oscars).

Now comes the remake of the 1960 not so classic, "Ocean's 11". When I first heard about the project, I thought I would be disapointed. I believed, at the time, that it would be one of those films, like so many in the past, where the film collapses on its own star power(big egos working against each other=bad movie). What I thought was going to be a failure ended up being the most surprisingly fun movie of 2001. With the exception of "Memento" and "Mullholand Drive", I can't thing of a film in 2001 that gave me such an exhilarating ride.

The premise of the plot is not complicated. Danny Ocean, played by possibly the most natural actor working today, George Clooney, gets out of prision on a prior charge, and quickly gathers a group of his fellow criminals to pull a heist in a Casino owned and operated by Andy Garcia(Untouchables). Clooney's group include characters played by Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Scott Caan and Carl Reiner. What is complicated, on initial glance, in the method and plan Ocean and his friends reveal in their attempts to steal money from the Casino vault. What makes the film a triumph, is the ease in which Soderbergh directs the details of the heist. There was not one moment in this movie where I felt lost or did not know what was going on during this elaborate plan. That is a huge credit to Soderebergh who directs a film about a casino heist as natural as a person taking a breath.

Ultimately, the greatest thing about Ocean'11 is that its so much more about than simply a casino heist. It's about Clooney and his swagger which echos Sinatra; it's about Brad Pitt's confidence and his brilliant display of top notch suits; it's about Vegas and the cool vibes that surround that desert town; it's about one of the greatest introductory scenes of a character I've seen in a long time(check out Matt Damon's entrance set to blues music); it's about the guy winning the girl; it's about great "old time" actors making welcoming appearances(Carl Reiner). It's about a director, with such vision, who has "kicked back" and has made a party of a movie.

Summary of Ocean's Eleven (Widescreen Edition)

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Feature-length audio commentary with stars Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Andy Garcia Feature-length audio commentary with director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Ted Griffin
DVD ROM Features:DVD-ROM enabled -- "In or Out" Game and web links
Documentaries:Behind-the-scenes documentary HBO First Look: "The Making Of Ocean's Eleven" Behind-the-scenes documentary: "The Look Of the Con", an inside look at the fashion in Ocean's Eleven
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Theatrical Trailer