With an elaborate scheme to strike it rich etched in his mind, slick con artist Danny Ocean (George Clooney), contacts his old friend, Rusty (Brad Pitt) the day he gets out of prison, in hope of assembling a team of specialists to rinse the impenetrable vault of three Las Vegas casinos, all owned by Terry Benedict (Danny Garcia). The prize would ultimately be one-hundred and fifty million dollars. An old-school heist movie that spawned two sequels. It’s worth noting that Ocean’s Eleven is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writers: George Clayton Johnson, Jack Golden Russell
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Bernie Mac, Elliot Gould, Carl Reiner, Eddie Jemison, Don Cheadle, Shaobo Qin

Nominated for over twenty awards, Ocean’s Eleven is based on a story written by George Clayton Johnson and Jack Golden Russell back in 1960, where an eventual screenplay followed, released in 1960, titled Ocean’s Eleven (1960). This 2001 production, however, is the first instalment in a more recent trilogy of films directed by Steven Soderbergh. Both Ocean’s Twelve (2004) and Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) will be reviewed on the website in the coming weeks.

A large majority of the flick was set in Las Vegas, showcasing some of the more spectacular casino’s that the city has to offer. The filmmakers manage to exploit the setting perfectly, taking the viewer into the heart of casino operations and successfully demonstrating the enormous and complex task that the crew had ahead of themselves. On a visual front, the flick manages to look suave and sophisticated, utilising the casino’s bright lights and overall classy look and feel.

One minor flaw, however, would have to be the pacing. At times this seemed a little rushed, but that’s understandable when taking into consideration the complexity of the story, along with the wealth of characters that were on display. If Ocean’s Eleven was made today, I’d safely assume that a longer runtime (around the three-hour mark) would be warranted.

One of, if not the most impressive aspect of the picture is the star-studded cast on display. George Clooney, off the back of his similar performance in Out of Sight (1998), adopted the role of Danny Ocean, while support reigned in from various angles. Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia and Julia Roberts adopted the roles of Rusty, Terry and Tess, respectively, while Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Bernie Mac, Elliot Gould, Carl Reiner, Eddie Jemison, Don Cheadle and Shaobo Qin made up the rest of the crew that were responsible for the heist. Elsewhere, there were even spontaneous appearances from the likes of Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko, who both appeared as themselves.

Ultimately, Ocean’s Eleven could be regarded as a flick that was ahead of its time with lots of smart and sharp dialogue, an interesting plot and some extremely likeable characters throughout the modest one-hundred and sixteen minute runtime. It’s worth noting that both sequels, Ocean’s Twelve (2004) and Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) will be reviewed on the website in the coming weeks. As previously stated, Ocean’s Eleven is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

“Play long enough, you never change the stakes, the house takes you.“

Danny Ocean – Ocean’s Eleven