Ocean's Eleven

Swinging

I've certainly enjoyed the movies of Steven Soderbergh before, but I was still wasn't quite prepared for how much I'd like his Ocean's Eleven. Admittedly, he's pushing a lot of my buttons. This is a caper flick, which means it has potential to be another Thomas Crown Affair. Even better, the target of the heist is the fabulous Bellagio in Las Vegas. There are definitely some cheats with the geography of The Strip, but that's not so bad. The amount of filming done in the actual casino provides terrific credibility. As if that weren't enough, we get George Clooney, who made Out of Sight so fantastic. The only film with him that I've seen and didn't like was Batman & Robin, which I only endured for about twenty minutes. Throw in a few dashes of comedy, appearances by legends like Carl Reiner and Elliot Gould, and we're talking serious potential.

All of those elements are good, but the main factor that pushes the film over the top is the cool, cool cast. Brad Pitt and George Clooney are professional swaggerers, and this story is the perfect showcase for them. Sometimes the cool manifests itself as outstanding skills, occasionally evoking archetypes like James Bond. Shaobo Qin's dazzling acrobatics, Don Cheadle and his cool explosions, and Eddie Jemison with his computer prowess fall into this category. And then there's Carl Reiner, who's gift of gab is his selling point. Watching all of these talents assemble is a hoot, even if Andy Garcia's character doesn't necessarily deserve his fate and Julia Roberts comes off as a snob who isn't quite worth winning back.