by Rhian Hibner
Daily Lobo
If you want to completely destroy someone, "Ocean's Thirteen" would be a good place to look for pointers.
Revenge is always a good way to get a movie going, but all too often, the execution falls flat. Typically, the hero gets into one of Hollywood's signature unrealistic fight scenes. "Ocean's Thirteen" has none of that. What it does have is the most intricately constructed plot seen in years. The twists and turns of the film are so artfully done that one could make a pretty good argument that "Ocean's Thirteen" succeeded in surpassing at least two of its predecessors.
The acting is top-notch for the most part. Al Pacino's portrayal of Willie Bank is dead on. He's absolutely ruthless, and his defeat is made all the more poignant because of it. Matt Damon does a great job of reminding everyone how much talent he has. His character, Linus Caldwell, is slightly hapless, though considerably less so than in the first two movies. Nonetheless, it's hard to imagine him as the same guy who plays the incredibly brutal Jason Bourne so perfectly.
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In fact, George Clooney and Brad Pitt take a bit of a backseat to Damon in this film. Their performances are right on, but one definitely gets the sense "Ocean's Thirteen" is as much the story of Caldwell coming into his own as it is a story about Ocean completely screwing someone over.
Casey Affleck and Scott Caan bring their sibling rivalry back to the silver screen, though they are mostly wasted this time around, in a relatively unimportant, but amusing sub-plot involving a dice factory in Mexico. Their best moment comes later, while posing as a stereotypical good cop, bad cop pair of security guards rousting an unfortunate hotel reviewer from his hotel room. Carl Reiner, playing the chameleon-like Saul Bloom, is unfortunately given a bit part this time around, which is unfortunate, as his character is probably the most skilled confidence man in the entire group.
The rest of the large cast manages to play their respective roles as well as ever. Listing every last one of them would take far too long, but suffice to say, no one disappoints - with one exception. Vincent Cassel, the man who played Franáois Toulour, may as well not have even been in this movie. His role is so thoroughly bit that it could have been played by anyone. It was a disappointing appearance for the primary antagonist of "Ocean's Twelve."
Overall, the film is excellent. Each shot is done well, though there is a strange overabundance of views of the antagonist's hotel. One shot stands out in particular, and it comes right at the climax of the story. Everyone who has seen this movie will know exactly which scene is being referred to here. It perfectly points out the sheer magnitude of Ocean's plan of revenge.
This probably isn't the one movie that anyone would pick if they had to choose out of everything that has come out or will come out this summer. But if one is allowed to pick two, this one should fit into that second slot nicely. It's either that, or watch the cast of "Fantastic Four" embarrass
themselves again.
"Ocean's Thirteen"
Now Playing
Grade: A-
