It seems that when it comes to the world of master thieves and high-stakes heists, it is not enough just to get the job done; you have to do it with style. At least that is how it is for the crew in “Ocean’s Thirteen”.
“Ocean’s Thirteen” does not have a complex plot. Its characters are not too concerned with the technicalities of setting up a world-class heist. Instead, what it does have is style: effortless, seamless, Hollywood megastar style.
The third in the series by director Steven Soderbergh, “Ocean’s Thirteen” delivers much of the same playboy, high-roller charm as his previous two films did.
In this film, the master thieves are set into motion when their good friend Rueben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould) suffers a heart attack when he gets muscled out of his share in a casino deal by Willie Banks (Al Pacino).
To avenge this wrongdoing, Ocean and crew plan to sabotage Banks’ new casino on opening night by rigging several complex scams. To accomplish the job, Ocean’s team employs everything from the conman-in-disguise bit, to digging a tunnel under the Las Vegas strip using both drills used to dig the Chunnel.
As it was in the previous two films, the scheme is impossibly over the top and must be executed timed to the very last minute, with no room for the slightest error.
As to be expected, Ocean and company bypass every hurdle with grace and a sort of Rat Pack, this-is-my-kind-of-town overtone carried throughout the movie.
With the characters achieving the impossible easily, it is simple to predict in what direction the movie will head-the crew will pull off the heist.
But that is not what the movies about. It is about star power and high rollers (in the movie and in real life) throwing their money around town like it were dispensable. It is all about capturing the essence of life in Las Vegas at the very highest level.
A look back at the original “Ocean’s Eleven” shot in 1960 will show that the concept and style of Soderbergh’s films remain true to the original.
With names like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. gracing the screen, the original cast was full of star power as is the remake.
In the end “Ocean’s Thirteen” is all about the superficial. There is no deeper meaning behind the plot; just a bunch of playboy’s running wild in Sin City.