"Ocean's Thirteen" (2007) - Movie Review

I love the sound of the bass guitar of the Ocean’s theme. It is so refreshing to hear it back in different tune with more flavour. Ocean’s team get back together for the reason of avenging their team mate Reuben (Elliot Could). He gets to deal with the worst businessman in Las Vegas, Willy Banks (Al Pacino) who cuts him off loose with the deal they had. So it gets personal and it is one another heist plan or a heist plan with the touch of breaking the game of Banks, gambling.

The cast and the screen play was the key in “Ocean’s Eleven”. It played them good and it turned out to be an amazing piece of work. I have not seen the original of “Ocean’s Eleven” but heard that the remake was a well deserved ode to its original. So next came the “Ocean’s Twelve” which was disappointing in most of the parts. It lacked the quirky comedy and inexplicit way of explaining those comic strikes. “Ocean’s Thirteen” goes back to the first one with respect to playing those notes perfectly. Guess it is the luck of the location. Las Vegas is lucky for Ocean’s Enterprise. This film makes sure that the viewer gets the treatment all it is needed. The right mix of comedy and some clever work of plans. But there are some serious moments of haphazard and over indulgence of the characters.

Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta Jones do not reprise their characters of Tess and Isabel. Both Danny (George Clooney) and Rusty (Brad Pitt) discuss about their relationship though which are not in detail but quite enough to stir some smirks, in a good way. Linus (Matt Damon) is still over enthusiastic and zealous about his work. The rest of the cast get their part well and neat. The biggest thing in the first part was the amount of threat and fear the character of Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) creates. The amount of unspoken fierceness Garcia brought that character made it an extreme mission of danger and calamity. The Willy Banks unfortunately does not match up to that. The character is shown very strict but not immaculately calculated and devilishly precise Terry. There is no striking presence of Al Pacino to lift those either. This steals the whole thrilling moments of discovery. The Terry when cheated does not lose his authority. He says after he gets robbed, “Run and hide. If you should be picked up next week buying a hundred-thousand dollar sports car in Newport Beach, I am going to be supremely disappointed. Because I want my people to find you, and when they do, rest assured we are not going to hand you over to the police. So my advice to you again is this: run and hide. That is all that I ask.” This is the dialogue which creates the chillness to the bones of any one who crosses Terry in bad way. Banks can just sit and watch and may be say some strange dialogues of authority which means none. In fact the minimal screen Garcia’s Terry creates more fun than Willy Banks still maintaining his authority.

If Al Pacino’s Willy Banks is not working then the second addition to the list is the character of Abigail Splonder played by Ellen Barkin. The chemistry in between Banks and Splonder is not either deemed professional nor does run personal to trust each other. Bottom line is that the match for the Ocean’s personality does not create the vibe of a tension filled thrill. Another additional reprisal of character is the François Toulour has nothing to do than follow the team of Ocean. His end is another addition in the list of disaster.

So apart from the Willy Banks and Splonder fiasco, the film is the usual routine of Ocean’s highly picture perfect planning. There are slight surprises in the end but not anything that needs some rethinking to put all the pieces together. The style comes back and so does all the characters with their piece of the original characteristic charm.

This film entertains but does not satisfy. It has the flavour of the original but lacks the strength of the nemesis. It has the key elements doing their job right and well, but the additional cast disappoints. Over all the odds of getting even happens to get even – In between the characters of Danny Ocean and Willy Banks.