Ocean146;s Thirteen

Let8217;s compare Ocean8217;s Thirteen with another threequel released last week: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World8217;s End. Both are films which bank more on their stars than a credible storyline. If you start thinking things through, little perhaps will make sense or is even intended to. But as long as Danny Ocean8217;s crew or Jack Sparrow8217;s on screen, you cannot help but go with the flow.

But where POC somewhere forgot that, starting to take itself too seriously as an action thriller, Ocean8217;s Thirteen sticks to the script. Though the story remains complicated, the 13 are in great form and pitted against a sinfully bronzed Al Pacino, who goes by the delightful name of Willy Bank or, W Bank.

Bank has cheated one of the original Ocean8217;s 11, Reuben Tishkoff Elliot Gould, of his share in a humongous casino that the two were supposed to build together. The irony of W Bank running the biggest show in Las Vegas where fortunes are made but mostly unmade isn8217;t lost on anyone.

Central to the Ocean8217;s revenge plot is a plan to engineer an earthquake under Las Vegas, and while that8217;s a little preposterous 8212; given that it requires smuggling in the boring machine used to dig up the Chunnel between England and France, and then digging under a famous Las Vegas strip, without getting noticed 8212; Soderbergh knows how to keep us focused on his characters.

He tries to follow each one of them, particularly the Malloy brothers who end up leading a mini-revolt in Mexico. The crew takes time out to talk, they commiserate, they trust each other, and so do you.

The only gripe is Ellen Barkin, caught in the same clothes and same expressions for a fairly long time now. As Bank8217;s right-hand, she is too stereotypical and much too easy fodder for Ocean8217;s men. After Julia Roberts sorely missed here and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the first two Oceans, you expect a little more from Soderbergh.

But the director still knows how to take a pause in the middle of all that8217;s happening to let you know what the film is about: a gang that is together for reasons other than love for the money or the thrills. Their friendship, and camaraderie, is reinforced in many small ways. These are men who make time for each other.

The humour and insouciance that marked out Ocean8217;s 11 also remain intact. The three 8220;stars8221; Danny, Rusty and Damon8217;s Linus, who desperately wants to prove he is one of them are still dressed in the best suits and eye gear; an ode is paid to Sinatra a member of the original Ocean8217;s 11 more than once; Oprah is the subject of some friendly ribbing; while Rusty8217;s love life, remarkably similar to Pitt8217;s real one, runs like a theme in Danny and Rusty8217;s conversations. Danny8217;s last advice to Rusty: You should settle down and have some kids.

Must say Pitt was listening.