Ocean's Thirteen

The trilogy ends where it should: on the strip in Vegas. This time one of Ocean’s Eleven is hurt and everyone wants revenge against a very despised villain. When I first saw “Ocean’s Thirteen”, I had watched the previous two movies earlier in the day so as to better compare and I was very satisfied. Unlike the last film, I understood everything by the end of the film. It is the same elements in all three Ocean movies that make them a success: story twists, characters and Steve Soderbergh’s style. The theme of this movie is that when you mess with one guy, you have to deal with his friends whom in this case are very close after two schemes and very expert at what they do. Always take “the Billy Martin” especially if you shook Sinatra’s hand.

The story as mentioned was much simpler than “Ocean’s Twelve”. First of all when Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones decided not to reprise their roles, you have to give a reason for their absence. The fact that “it’s not their fight” works very well because as usual this is a personal heist. This time however, all of Ocean’s eleven are dealing with something very personal: the health of one of their own. The plot is more linear and this helps the story. “Ocean’s Thirteen” does not ignore the last film however and that is good. The “shook Sinatra’s hand” motif makes Bank a very bad double crosser. His reply, “Screw Sinatra’s hand!” makes him worse than Benedict in our books. The first 10 minutes tell us that this film will be good because of Bank. We want him to go down and Sponder’s scene where she fires the waitress establishes her as a hated person also. The opening scene with Nagel provides the needed exposition, bringing the audience up to speed on the heist and almost every part of it. Once again throughout the film, cons are mentioned such as the “cartwheel” and a “Suzan B. Anthony”. This keeps the audience a little out of the loop like on the first film. The audience also becomes quite wary when The Night Fox shows up. It is fun and fitting to have Benedict as the 13^th man because he complicates things. It is very funny to have him watching from his office and laughing or reacting on the action. It is interesting having a meeting in Benedict’s office. It feels weird how he is in on this scam, where as in the first film he was the target. The reminiscing scene in front of the Bellagio with “Clair de Lune” playing under the conversation makes the audience reminisce too. It is kind of like an interlude scene for the film. Only the Malloys would get distracted and put the factory offline. It is a funny setback for the movie. It is great how Ruben is well enough to see and enjoy his “get well present” in person. I also like how Bank thinks that Danny’s revenge for Ruben only has to do with the whales he took away where as we the audience knows that it is just the tip of the iceberg, sort of speak. The next setback is not that Livingston is caught; it is that Bank himself is checking out Livingston’s known associates. Because of Livingston’s smile, we as the audience know that his capture is part of the plan but because we don’t yet know about Caldwell, we also don’t know how Livingston will be liberated. We think that the FBI is the real problem but actually it is Bank that is creating the setback, not Caldwell. The twist at the end when Caldwell’s identity is revealed is a great payoff. The moment I heard his last name in the diamond room, I knew who he was. I would love a cover like that if I were a criminal. I smile when Basher stops doing the “cartwheel” once he knows that his face on Bank’s computer has been altered. If I was risking my neck, I would be a little selfish too. Fortunately, all of the photos and names have also been changed. I like other moments like when the lady wins the “trapdoor” and how the team fools Benedict into thinking that the floor is 18 inches thick when actually it is a timer set for 18 seconds. They still have to pull of a charade of sorts to stay ahead of Benedict and Toulour.

While the story is the best part of the “Ocean’s Thirteen”, the cast and style of Steven Soderbergh’s direction give things a special flavour. I like how the main characters reassume roles that they had on the first film such as Frank as the inside man. The character of Danny Shields has now become a familiar face in the franchise as played by the producer of all three films, Jerry Weintraub. He plays a more dominant role as the movies go on and he has a good role in “Thirteen”. Kensington Chub is my favorite character of Saul’s. Oprah’s cameo is funny and she also brings a sense of reality to the film as Bruce Willis did for “Twelve”. We get to enjoy a "Godfather Part III" reunion of sorts at the Expo with Al Pacino and Andy Garcia (even though the quality of that sequel may not have warranted a reunion). Speaking of Pacino, I liked his performance. I feel he was better to watch in this show than in "The Godfather" films but that could be because I saw "Thirteen" first. Bruiser’s cameo in this film should make anyone laugh. The biohazard sequence is great because of editing and music. We feel the creepiness of what Danny and Rusty are doing. The grand opening establishing shots with the multiple images feels like the opening of a play as all the players take their place. This provides another curtain call at the end of the film (which this time fittingly uses “This Town” by Sinatra). Neon red is the main colour on this movie instead of yellow like on “Ocean’s Eleven”.

The ending is a great way to say good-bye to Danny, Rusty, Linus and the rest of the Eleven. This star-studded franchise is fun to watch because of story, cast and style. Things ended on a good note. The Ocean’s Trilogy is the best heist story to kick off the new millennium. The feeling of the Rat Pack lives on in George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon.

4 Stars out of 5