This
is easily one of the best franchises on the block, something the George
Clooney led team should be very proud of. It's simple, fun and down
right enjoyable viewing - theres not much more to it - it's "The Balls". In Ocean's 13 (the third in the series - not an unwanted Police Academy-type thirteenth installment), Danny Ocean (played by the uber-cool-but-one-toned George
Clooney) and the gang decide to take on the ruthless casino owner Willy
Bank (Al Pacino, who looks like he's melting) after he double-crossed
Danny Ocean's friend
and mentor Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould), putting the distraught
Reuben in a hospital bed in a critical condition. From there, the rest of the Ocean's formula is simple. Let the audience in on the plan - then watch it play out. It's captivating stuff. Their strategy on this occasion is twofold. First they plan to ruin Bank financially
by turning the tables on the precept that the house always win. The second knockout punch is to Bank's personal pride
and joy: his reputation as the only hotelier who has earned the Royal
Review Board's Five Diamond Award on every single one of his hotels. While
the first hour seems to lack the laughs that the original two
delivered, it must be said that the plot is thankfully nowhere near as complicated
as Ocean's 12, watching the plan in action is well worth the wait - for the pure fact that you are along for the ride. The
cast, as always, is superb. The real appeal of the flick is the fact
that most audience members will just be so giddy at the idea of seeing
so many A-Listers on screen at once. The sheer charisma and charm that
oozes off the screen is just astounding, even the men in the audience
could be forgiven for leaving their girlfriends for Brad Pitt's
sparkling eyes (to quote Superbad "Have you looked into his eyes? It's like the first time I heard The Beatles").
The plan is elaborate, dangerous and damn near impossible...but that's why you've payed twenty odd bucks to see it - isn't it? EXTRAS
Quite
surprisingly, the extras are rather poor. You kind of get the feeling
that a Trilogy Box Set is on the way, and anything worthwhile
extras-wise is being saved until then.
There's only one
featurette on here that's of any real interest, "Vegas: The Opulent
Illusion", which explores the history and the lure of one of the most
mythical cities in the US. It's a fascinating bit of viewing which
uncovers the tricks and secrets of how Casinos are designed to keep you
inside and spending away (you'll never look at the lighting at your
local casino the same ever again!).
Other than that, there's
some pretty average deleted scenes - as well as a underused "Look At
The Set with Producer Jerry Weintraub". The look at the set is amazing
(they could open it as a real casino if they wanted), but Weintraub is
semi-conscious the whole way through and I'm pretty sure he had a gun
aimed at his back while doing it - because he can't wait for it to
finish either!
Good flick that fails to deliver a full house of bonus features. Conclusion:
Movie 75% Extras: 50%
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