Review of Ocean's Eleven (2001) by Kevin P — 17 Apr 2018

Strengths: Of course, the positives start with the extraordinary cast. You'd be hard pressed to find a better two men to lead something like this than George Clooney (Danny) and Brad Pitt (Rusty). They're both so charismatic and play off each other tremendously. Matt Damon (Linus) is great and possibly steals the show in this one. There's also top notch work from folks like Don Cheadle (Basher), Bernic Mac (Frank) and Andy Garcia (Terry). Typically, in a good heist film, the actual robbery is the best part. While it's good here, the highlight is seeing everything get set up and watching the pieces fall into place. The characters interact so well that I could've watched an entire film of just them putting the heist together. The film is well written, with sharp, witty dialogue. I've gone on record to state that I'm not a fan of Soderbergh flicks, but this series is the exception. It's well directed and he just gets what to do with characters.

Weaknesses: Parts of the movie seem to drag and it ultimately ends up feeling like it lasts longer than two hours. I also couldn't get into the Tess (Julia Roberts) character. I completely understood her point in the film and she's a big driving force behind Danny's plan. I just never felt any real connection or chemistry with her and Clooney. Also, while it makes sense for her to leave Terry after hearing what he said, she goes back to Danny, which feels out of character. It doesn't seem like Danny does enough to be deserving of that kind of redemption from his jilted ex.

Overall: This is just such a cool movie. Almost all the characters are enjoyable in some form, they're stylish and witty, making for a good time. The heist itself is cool and the setup for it is great. Throw in some great acting, writing, and directing and you've got a winner.