Review of Ocean`s Eleven

Introduction

The Rat Pack weren`t the most talented bunch, but they did give the world something. And one of their offerings was Ocean`s Eleven - the story of Danny Ocean, a guy who gathers together a group of ex-paratroopers and then plots a daring heist on three casinos in Las Vegas.

Flash forward to the 21st century, and to screenwriter Ted Griffin, who is writing a remake of one of the favourite Rat Pack flicks, with of course, a modern reworking of the story, script and characters. Instead of Frank Sinatra in the lead role, we now have George `Suave` Clooney, and some of the freshest talent to emerge from Hollywood in the last few years. And whose the helmer? None other than Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh, who has ventured into this genre before - in the form of the Clooney-Lopez outing, Out of Sight.

Of course, some artistic license has been taken, and the story has been tweaked to the modern generation. Gone are the group of ex-squaddies, and instead Ocean is now an ex-con who is determined to carry on doing heists, even if he risks violating his strict parole. The three casinos this time round are owned by ruthless tycoon Tony Benedict (played by Andy Garcia), who just happens to be dating Ocean`s ex-wife, Tess. No excess baggage in this heist then...

Clooney plays Danny with the coolness and calmness that has made his name, and he is backed up by a great supporting cast. Brad Pitt (aka Mr Aniston) plays Ocean`s right-hand man, the guy who bails Ocean out from time to time and keeps his finger on the pulse; Matt Damon plays a pickpocket who is a bit of a rookie at the `game` but has potential; Don Cheadle plays the munitions expert, a Cockney who baffles the others (and no dount the viewers) with his accent; Casey Affleck and Scott Caan play two loose cannons from Utah; Elliot Gould plays the casino veteran who invented modern-day casino security; Carl Reiner plays the `Russian businessman` who infiltrates the casino; Shaobo Qin plays the Chinese acrobat who become the `grease-man`; Bernie Mac plays the guy who works at the casino, doing the recon; and Eddie Jemison plays the `geek` of the bunch - yep, the token computer guy.

Before I go on, something has to be said about the other geek - the geek who designed the packaging for the disc. Now I`m not a member of the ASC (Anti Snapper Community), so I`m not going to lay into the way Warner Bros. distributes their discs. Instead, I`m going to lay into the geek who thinks that the film has a running time of 181 minutes. Reverse the last two digits and it gives you a clearer indication...

Video

It is presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen (again, contrary to what the packaging states), and the visuals are deep and well defined, with no compression signs visible. The print is crisp and clear throughout, as one would expect from a recent film made by a premier studio, and there is no dust nor grain on the transfer. However, there is one minor niggle, which lasts for about 30 seconds. At the beginning of the film, Clooney is wearing a grey-ish coloured suit, and it seems to cause colour problems on the screen...one can see that the visuals are poor when he is on camera, and it seems to be a pixellation problem of some kind. Apart from that, no other flaws.

This is a typical Soderbergh production - it is the defintion of cool. From the clothes that define the characters to the script and scenarios, it reminds you that Hollywood does possess talent, albeit if it hides it from time to time.

Audio

A DD 5.1 track is on offer, and the surrounds are used well, although not as often as one would have hoped. The main audio stream is crisp and clear when used for dialogue, and any music is reproduced well.

The script is sharp and intelligent, and it develops the characters well. Instead of being just mere pawns in the story, the characters are rounded. Admittedly, the main characters are developed more (some of the supporting ones could be beefed up somewhat), but it does combine to make a more believable experience instead of just the `there because they have to be` approach of other films.

The music in the film is good and defines the scenes in which any music is featured. Highlight has to be "A Little Less Conversation" - the recent remix of one of Elvis` songs.

Features

First up, there are two audio commentaries, firstly with Matt Damon, Andy Garcia and Brad Pitt, and the second with Steven Soderbergh and Ted Griffin. Both tracks are insightful and amusing, and compliment the film well. Only flaw? Where the hell is Clooney or Roberts?

There is a documentary entitled "The Making of Ocean`s Eleven" - a 15 minute affair featuring soundbites from cast and crew. What do I compare this to? Well, from the joke-ridden and insightful nature of the documentary, the one that springs to mind is the documentary on the Out of Sight disc (ah, what a coincidence, another Soderbergh-Clooney outing...). Problem is, the running time just isn`t long enough - this production would be really interesting to delve into, but this barely touches the sides.

Then, there is another documentary, this time a 10 minute look at the costume design, entitled "The Look of The Con". This features an interview with the costume designer, and is useful as he explains how the costumes are relevant to the characters, and how they develop the characters. Again, interesting, and again, it`s too damn short...

The last worthwhile extra is on the DVD-ROM side - an interactive game entitled "In or Out?"...basically re-creating the heist from the film. Enjoyable whilst it lasts.

Then, we have the usual PR stuff - 3 trailers and filmographies of the cast and crew. Nothing groundbreaking.

The menus are animated well, with music in the background and clips from the film spliced onto a casino theme menu.

Ocean`s Eleven is presented in a snapper case, with chapter listings printed on the inside cover.

Conclusion

The film is one of those that boasts huge replay value, due to its comedy and action-packed nature. Describing the set-pieces in the film, one would immediately draw a comparison to Mission Impossible - although the tones and execution of both films are on a completely different level.

The ensemble cast work well together, they gel into believable characters, not just some group of actors walking in front of the camera and reciting their lines looking as if they want to be somewhere else. No, this is a slick production, and everything about it is slick - from the script to the directing.

Granted, the film does have the odd flaw, but this film is about fun: and it certainly delivers on that level. To summarise Ocean`s Eleven, it contains 25% build-up and then the heist which lasts for practically the remaining three-quarters of the running time. But, the pace nor the thrills never let up, which is surprising to see, but definitely pleasing.

Disc wise, everything is good, although the extras could do with a bit of beefing up. I think the documentaries should be combined, and then added to (another 25 minutes ought to do it), to deliver a comprehensive insight into the production. However, the commentaries ate good, and the originality of the DVD-ROM features is pleasing.

The price of Warner Bros. discs have come down in recent weeks, meaning there is no excuse not to own this DVD. Comedy, thrills and action - it`s all here, and the disc is solid enough to warrant the following words: buy it, watch it, and then watch it again!