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Ocean's Twelve
In a nutshell: A good-natured burglary sequel to Ocean's Eleven. Running Time: 2hrs 5 minutes. Certificate 12A.
Like the Audi TT then, Ocean's Twelve looks great, appeals to the general public and doesn't stand up to cold rational analysis. Unlike the Audi TT though, that doesn't matter as it's great fun and leads its class in sheer entertainment value. Perhaps it's more like a Mini Cooper after all. I enjoyed this film: I think the average moviegoer will enjoy it: Testosterone Satisfaction Rating: Catherine Zeta-Jones looks unusually foxy. To enjoy this film you should be: up for some light fun
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Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Scott Caan,
Don Cheadle, Elliott Gould, Bernie Mac, Robbie Coltrane, Vincent Cassel, Eddie Izzard, Bruce Willis, Albert Finney.
Following the glitzy, humorous, Hello magazine success of Ocean's Eleven, it was inevitable that there
would be a predictably titled sequel. Ocean's Twelve is very much episode two, as it leads smoothly from the first movie
and feels very similar in all significant areas. If you enjoyed the first episode, you'll revel in Danny Ocean's attempts
to repay the baddie Benedict
(Andy Garcia) who is on the warpath because of being stolen from the last time. The quality is thrown at us from the very
beginning, as a single camera shot follows Rusty (Brad Pitt) down some exterior stairs towards his car, which blows up
dramatically 20 feet before he gets to it. You don't get much scope for error in a shot like that.
Ocean's Twelve, as with Eleven, is all about style. It's the Audi TT of the movie world - an overpriced fashion accessory
bought mostly by people who know nothing about cars because it's outclassed technically by many of its competitors - but
against all the odds it's actually pretty good nonetheless.
The acting wages must have been astronomical judging by the list of stars, but it's money well spent as the cast
collectively has more than enough sizzling charisma to tease the money from even the most hardened moviegoer's wallet.
George Clooney and Brad Pitt have many times carried movies on their own using nothing more than their immense screen
presence and together their cumulative effect is captivating. The whole team performs beautifully together, many scenes
giving the impression of being improvised, both from the dialogue and the docu-style camera work, contributing to the sense
of realism whilst at the same time maintaining a pervasive Hollywood sheen. That's no mean feat.
The story of Ocean's Twelve has a typically fun, jaunty, move-fast-so-there's-no-time-to-think style and it suits the
film perfectly. It's all highly unlikely, but presented in a down-to-earth, funny way and with a cracking soundtrack.
The pie-in-the-sky heist
elements are complemented by human day-to-day dialogue about trivia - like Pulp Fiction, but funnier - which serves to make
a beautifully complete piece of cinema. The writers even push their tongue almost through their cheek when Julia Roberts
starts to ... well I won't give it away, suffice to say Bruce Willis appears as himself and blurs the line between movie and
reality in a very courageous way - it's a surreal moment that threatens to break the magic through sheer self-mockery - but
having set the feel of the movie with the (seemingly) improvised and light-hearted Altman-esque conversations, it works
and it creates a memorable giggle.
The only thing I can find to criticise is Don Cheadle's dubious cockney accent,
but then I'd feel inadequate as a reviewer if I couldn't find anything to complain about. I have to say though, for
the sake of completeness, that many people have found the plot difficult to follow (it gets clearer on the second viewing)
and this has caused them to not enjoy the movie. The kind of person who complains because the binman has put his bin back
in the wrong place, who mumbles "twat" whenever a Ferrari drives past, for example, will probably be able to
find something about Ocean's Twelve to whinge about. He will also never be happy. Ocean's Twelve is all about fun -
in my head it feels similar to Shrek in that respect, though that might be down to my failing sanity - and so if you're
feeling particularly acerbic then it may not light your fire.
