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Like its predecessorOcean's Eleven,Ocean's Twelveis a piffle of a caper, a preposterous plot given juice and vitality by a combination of movie star glamour and the exuberant filmmaking skill of director Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight,The Limey). The heist hijinks of the first film come to roost for a team of eleven thieves (including the glossy mugs of Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, and Don Cheadle), who find themselves pursued not only by the guy they robbed (silky Andy Garcia), but also by a top-notch detective (plush Catherine Zeta-Jones) and a jealous master thief (well-oiled Vincent Cassel) who wants to prove that team leader Danny Ocean (dapper George Clooney) isn't the best in the field. As if all that star power weren't enough--and the eternally coltish Julia Roberts also returns as Ocean's wife--one movie star cameo raises the movie's combined wattage to absurd proportions. But all these handsome faces are matched by Soderbergh's visual flash, cunning editing, and excellent use of Amsterdam, Paris, and Rome, among other highly decorative locations. The whole affair should collapse under the weight of its own silliness, but somehow it doesn't--the movie's raffish spirit and offhand wit soar along, providing lightweight but undeniable entertainment.--Bret Fetzer
Truly Egregious Ocean's Twelve is not really much of a sequel to the well-paced, well-organized, and thoroughly witty remake of Ocean's Eleven. Except for the neo-rat-pack having fun, and maybe encouraging the viewer to believe he/she is a member and in on all the sly inside wit, it is a bit hard to see the attraction of this film.
Yes, some reviewers gave Twelve three stars--am it is unclear why. It is long, disorganized, pandering, narcissistic, and without much coherence to the plot.
Basically, the gang from the last film has been caught by the obnoxious casino owner. He will kill them all if they don't repay what they stole from the casino vault--with interest. For no clear reason, they head off to Europe to pull an even bigger heist. Along the way, they fall into rivalry with a master thief reminiscent of 'the Fox' in the Peter Sellers classic "After the Fox."
Through it all, it is virtually impossible to tell what is going on or to discern just what role most of Ocean's dozen will play in the proposed new heist. It seems like the cast just ad-libbed everything and that no one ever finishes a sentence. The gratuitous camera work reinforced the impression that the entire production unit pretty much made it up as they went along. When the end does come, it isn't much of a surprise.
It was also hard to imagine anything more self-indulgent and stupid than Julia Roberts playing Mrs. Ocean-pretending-to-be-Julia-Roberts!
You'll have much more fun buying a DVD of a classic con-game movie like "The Sting" and giving this clunker a wide berth!
Ocean's Twelve barely stays afloat In 2001, Stephen Soderbergh and friends remade the 1960 "Rat Pack" vehicle OCEAN'S ELEVEN. The result was an exciting comic caper, filled with enough silky smooth `cool' to carry over through 3 movies. The film did well at the box office so it was inevitable in today's studio climate that a sequel was not far down the road.
2003's OCEAN'S TWELVE brought back everyone of consequence from its predecessor, but the film they created was not as clever, coherent or comic. Maybe this was an inevitable as it was a totally `original' script rather than a remake of an already clear and focused screenplay.
The star-studded cast doesn't appear to be having as much fun this second time around. Unfortunately, that can be infectious to the viewing audience. That's not to say the film doesn't have its fun moments. Bruce Willis making an appearance as "Bruce Willis" does well to keep smiles happening for a few minutes. On other occasions, the interplay between the "Twelve" has its share of laughs. Even a bit where Tess dresses up like "Julia Roberts" is creative enough to keep the film alive. And the welcome addition of Catherine Zeta-Jones as a mysterious detective on their trail gives the story some `oomph' if it is not too overwhelming.
But robbing paintings and museum work is inherently less fun as robbing Las Vegas casinos. And those active, fun and loud casinos with their unique characters played a huge part in the first films success. You'll never see a commercial that says "Whatever Happens in the Italian Museums, stays in Italian Museums."
So the result of this film is a more somber story with much more plot to keep the audience confused, not behind. A problem its `prequel' did not suffer. And why make a film where the only villain of consequence gets his way in the end?
The film is not a good stand alone vehicle so if you have not seen OCEAN'S ELEVEN or are not a fan of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon or Julia Roberts, stay away.One Word.........BLAH! Ocean's Eleven was a watchable movie, nothing to write home about but at least those involved didn't have to hang their heads in shame. This sequel however is one of the most uneven pointless sequels I've ever seen. The worst flaw of this film is simply put...it is BORING. There is also a really preposterous scene with Julia Roberts character playing Julia Roberts...maybe one of the dumbest things I've ever scene in a film. George Clooney and Brad Pitt walk through this movie acting like they're the coolest hippest dudes on planet earth, sorry chaps but the jokes on you, Matt Damon seems cooler than you two arrogant chumps put together. Dumb,dumb, and just dumb. The story is so mediocre and silly that it's no wonder the acting is sub par. The best thing about this movie is the nap you can take while it's on.
