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Ocean's Thirteen (Full-Screen Edition) by Steven Soderbergh
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DVD Cover InformationActor: Brad Pitt, Elliott Gould, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Michael Mantell Director: Steven Soderbergh Brand: Warner Brothers Cinematographer: Steven Soderbergh Editor: Stephen Mirrione Producer: Bruce Berman Producer: Frederic W. Brost Producer: Susan Ekins Producer: Gregory Jacobs Writer: Brian Koppelman DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Original Language); French (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed) Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC Picture Format: 1.33:1 Running Time: 122 minutes DVD Release Date: 2007-11-13 Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Movie Reviews of Ocean's Thirteen (Full-Screen Edition)Movie Review: Just when I thought I was going to hate this movie... Summary: 4 Stars...I didn't!
Okay, so I made it obvious with my review of `Ocean's Twelve', and before that with my review of `Ocean's Eleven', that I am really disappointed with the way these films have turned out. With such an eclectic cast of big name, highly enjoyable stars you would think that these movies would be nothing short of amazing, but in actuality they have been rather boring, dull and forgettable. They have even lacked any real charm. I mean, these movies star George `king of charm' Clooney, not to mention Brad Pitt and yet they seem to fizzle as apposed to sizzle.
That is about to change though.
`Ocean's Thirteen' should have marked the beginning, not the end of the this franchise (I'm still scared they may try and pull of an `Ocean's Fourteen', and I'm not so certain they would fare this well again judging from their track record). The film is witty, interesting, farfetched yet in an engaging and forgivable way, and get this; it has charm (thanks in large part to Matt Damon, who in my opinion was a weak link in the first two films).
The film brings the boys back to Vegas where they attempt to outsmart (and bleed dry) a corrupt and dishonest hotelier named Bank who has cheated their friend Reuben, leaving him in the hospital. Danny and his crew concoct a harebrained (I mean really, heists like these are impossible and totally preposterous to consider as valid) scheme to rob this man blind. In the process they enlist the help of Terry Benedict, leaving their jilted past aside in order to ruin a man who has damaged them all.
The scheme they concoct is probably the easiest of the three to follow and despite it's impossibility they make it seem almost probable (don't even try to attempt this at home). Regardless of the fact that it is stupid to believe this can be done, the whole idea is rather neat and each and every part of the ultimate equation is fun to watch them work out.
The acting is far better than the previous films as well. Clooney is in even less of this movie than he was in `Twelve' (has this become Pitt's vehicle?) but when he is on, he is dashing. Pitt is also charming, more so than the previous films, but it is Matt Damon that really takes this film to another level. Maybe he was upset that `Twelve' used him so sparingly, and practically made him a laughingstock, so he decided that this time he wanted to be front and center. Well, whoever decided it, it was a smart decision. He adds something fresh to this movie, something that Pitt or Clooney could not. Another surprise was Pacino, who sinks his teeth into his hammy role with so much charisma and grace. I just loved him here. Ellen Barkin is fetching as Banks' partner in crime, and David Paymer is devastatingly hilarious as the casino's VUP. I really wish that there would have been more Izzard or Cheadle, but I cannot complain too much, for this film is so much more than I imagined it would be.
It is still far from perfect. I am not a fan of Soderbergh's muted use of color. I mentioned this in my review of `Twelve'. These films needed to be vibrant and colorful and he insists on giving almost every scene a yellowy tint. I just don't like that very much. I was just in Vegas a few weeks ago, and everything pops out at you. For some reason Soderbergh doesn't get that.
Still, I can honestly say that this is a pretty decent movie, and one that I would watch again without hesitation. I only wish they had started with this and built up from it, instead of starting at the bottom, dropping below the bottom and then scrounging up something good for a final pow-wow. It would have been really cool to have three films this engaging on the roster, but alas, at least we have one.
Summary of Ocean's Thirteen (Full-Screen Edition)It's bolder. Riskier. The most dazzling heist yet. George Clooney Brad Pitt Matt Damon and more reteam with director Steven Soderbergh for a split-second caper that stacks the deck with wit style and cool. Danny Ocean again runs the game so no rough stuff. No one gets hurt. Except for double-crossing Vegas kingpin Willy Bank (Al Pacino). Ocean's crew will hit him where it hurts: in his wallet. On opening night of Bank's posh new casino tower The Bank every turn of a card and roll of the dice will come up a winner for bettors. And they'll hit him in his pride making sure the tower doesn't receive a coveted Five Diamond Award. That's just the start of the flimflams. The boys are out to break The Bank. Place your bets!Running Time: 122 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:?COMEDY/CONS & SCAMS UPC:?085391189282 Manufacturer No:?1000027368 George Clooney is one, Brad Pitt is two, Matt Damon three... well, let's just assume there are 13 collaborators in this installment of Steven Soderbergh's profitable caper franchise. We're back in Las Vegas for Ocean's Thirteen, where the boys plot to shut down the brand-new venture of a backstabbing hotelier (Al Pacino) because the guy double-crossed the now-ailing Reuben (Elliott Gould). If you look at the plot too closely, the entire edifice collapses (hey, how about those Chunnel-digging giant drills?), but Soderbergh conjures up a visual style that swings like Bobby Darin at the Copa. Other than the movie-star dazzle, the main reason to see the film is Soderbergh's uncanny feel for how the widescreen frame can float through the neon spaces of Vegas or sort through groups of characters sitting in hotel rooms talking (he shot the film himself, under his pseudonym Peter Andrews). The film doesn't give enough time to goofballs Casey Affleck and Scott Caan (whose riffs made Ocean's Twelve worth seeing), although it provides comic stuff for a fun roster of actors, including Eddie Izzard, David Paymer, and Bob ("Super Dave") Einstein. Meanwhile, Ellen Barkin makes a fetching assistant for Pacino, and Pacino himself, his hair dyed Trumpian orange, is content to gnaw on some ham for the duration. Biggest puzzle about the two sequels is why George Clooney seems content to retreat from centerstage. Still, his Hemingwayesque conversations with Pitt are an amusing form of male shorthand, and even as the movie overstays its welcome during a long finale, Clooney's easy sense of cool makes it all seem acceptable. --Robert Horton
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