The Village Idiots

Ocean's Twelve (Review)

(5 out of 10)
Dir. Steven Soderbergh

Should You See the Film?

First let me say that I liked the remake of Ocean's Eleven the first film (7 out of 10). Second, the reasons for liking the first film are not necessarily the strong points in the second film, and some of you may feel the same way. Let me go into some of them:

Personal Comments

(Spoilers)

For me, I liked the challenge of the specifric heist, the plan to excute the heist, the way Soderbergh reveals the details and twists of the plan. I also liked the characters (although I though Andy Garcia was terrible in the first film. He was miscast, and his acting was really bad) and the way they interacted with each other. In Ocean's Twelve, I felt the plot ted more than the characters and their relationships. Soderbergh concentrates on the heist/con and laying out of the details to the audience. In the process, he totally confused me and didn't maximize the strengths of the film, namely the characters, the dialogue and relationships with each other. I didn't know what the characters were talking about in some of the scenes, particuarly when negotiations took place. For example, when Benedict (Garcia) talks to Linus (Damon), it appeared that Linus was agreeing to betray the group. I felt Soderbergh's decisions for the length and sequences of these scenes really made the story hard to follow.

Furthermore, I wasn't satisfied with the story and heist even when the details became clearer. For example, the stole the egg by creating a diversion and switching bags. That seems way too easy. I had other questions as well:

• Why did Ocean's 11 have do the Amesterdam job first?
• Why did Le Marque (Finney) trick his protege, Toulour (Cassel)?
• How did Danny (Clooney) know that Le Marque was still alive?

And then Soderbergh decides to add in the "clever" side-plot of Tess (Roberts) acting like Julia Roberts. I found this whole part of the film silly and unfunny. (Bruce Willis is not dumb enough not to know that Tess is not Julia Roberts.)

I also didn't like the way the film shifted attention from Benedict to Toulour-Le Marque. It was a tough move to execute because you had to introduce these other characters in a way that the audience could understand or connect with these characters. They just seemed to come out of no where without any development to them.

The confusing storytelling and plot twists remind me of my reaction to the Mission Impossible films--after awhile I don't really care about the story or the characters.

One other criticism I had was the 70s references in filmmaking. Referencing the past wins hip and clever points, but It's been going on since the 90s, and I'm kind of tired of it (although I didn't mind it so much in The Incredibles, but I really liked other elements of the film). How about creating a filmmaking style that is new and reflects the time now? Or is the characteristic of our time looking back to the past? That would be disappointing if so. I think if I were a filmmaker (or creative artist) I would reject and react against that retro, post-modern approach. Actually, I think there will be (or are) filmmakers who will reject that approach. I'm anxious to see what they come up with.

Posted by Reid at December 18, 2004 08:04 AM