classicsoncall
The sequel Ocean films to the original 'Eleven' each had a more complicated heist scheme, and it seemed like this one went on forever. Quite honestly, there's no way any of this could have been pulled off for real, so your best bet is to sit back and enjoy the glitz and glitter of Las Vegas and witness the impossible. The players this time around weren't in it so much for the money, but to help out fellow member Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) who got screwed out of his share of the new Bank Casino by insidious owner Willy Bank (Al Pacino). With honor among thieves, the Ocean crew set about their task with multiple complications intruding on their original plan.Not only do we have most of the original cast back, but Danny (George Clooney) and the boys find themselves in a tough financial spot, so upon the advice of Linus (Matt Damon), they have to resort to the unthinkable. They approach former target Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) for a hefty thirty six million advance, having to settle for a double payback and a wrinkle involving the theft of Bank's 'Five Star Diamond' collection. That in turn sets up the return of master thief Francois Toulour (Vincent Cassell), at which point, if you haven't seen the prior film in the series, one would be left pondering who the shady character is. I have to admit, I was kind of looking for Julia Roberts to show up in the story, even as a late entry, but that never happened. It was cool however how the script matured Matt Damon's character over the course of the three Ocean films to make him more involved in the planning of the heist. His "see you when I see you" at the finale left things ripe for yet another sequel, but topping the escapades in this story border on the impossible, so we'll probably have to leave things as they lay. Even so, it was an entertaining run, as long as you don't take things too seriously.
msudude22
I found this one to be very slow. I enjoyed Ocean's Eleven. Ocean's Twelve was kind of lame. This one was very slow moving. They should have stopped after the first one. I don't understand the need to make sequels of almost every movie. I also found Ellen Barkin's character to be very annoying and irrelevant.
zkonedog
"Ocean's Thirteen" is not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination. It is entertaining at its core and even goes back to the Vegas locale that made the first one so successful. However, by the end of "13" it is clear that the "Ocean's" series has played itself out.For a basic plot summary, this movie sees Danny Ocean (George Clooney), Rusty (Brad Pitt), and the rest of the gang (this time featuring Matt Damon in a much larger role) back in Vegas, where this time they are getting a little revenge on casino owner Willy Bank (Al Pacino) for putting Reuben (Elliot Gould) in the hospital.The biggest "plus" about this film is that it goes back to Vegas, the setting that these kinds of movies need to feature. Even when all else can (and sometimes does) go wrong, there is just something about seeing those suave guys in sharp clothing strutting around the casino floor. It adds that "cool" factor.Unfortunately, "13" is kind of a mishmash of all kinds of different stuff, both plot and character- wise. The "big job" is delved into much too quickly with very little "setup" (a key component of the original), while the characters become (for the first time) little more than parodies of themselves. Everything just kind of feels rushed in this one, as if the plan was to camouflage a fading series with continued action instead of plot/character development.Overall, though, "Ocean's 13" is still entertaining, at least. If you liked the first two at all you'll have no trouble sitting through this one. However, it won't grab you and take you for a fun ride like the others, either.
Rickting
After the disaster of Ocean's 12 there was only one way: up. Therefore, Ocean's 13 inevitably improves although it's not surprising Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta Jones dropped out. The ridiculously likable crew are back, getting revenge on a businessman (Al Pacino) who conned their friend. It relocates the action back to Vegas, where it belongs, and this time they were polite enough to actually include a heist. Concluding the trilogy in better than expected fashion, O13 restores the trilogy to glamorous, slick, stylish glory and still shines brighter than the majority of the lights on the strip. It doesn't measure up the original. Don Cheadle is as jarring as ever and there are some irritating jokes and the heist sometimes feels lost in the comedy. It can be overly confusing and it's sometimes difficult to understand where the plot is going. These various flaws don't stop it from being a solid 4 star crime flick.The characters are still entertaining and likable. This time, Brad Pitt and George Clooney are actually likable and aren't just smug. Matt Damon is still bland though. It's well directed by Steven Soderbergh and has another fine musical score. There's also a sense of finality and it wraps up the trilogy very well. It's not as surreally enjoyable as the first one, but it's humorous, slick and offers plenty of the escapist fun that the first did. It doesn't suffer from the laws of diminishing returns and does the formula of the first one without adding to it but also without copying it and doing a turd on it. This isn't the strongest or bravest second sequel out there but it deserves a lot of respect for being entertaining and learning from the mistakes of the awful Ocean's 12. Nothing memorable or daring, but O13 provides plenty of stylish and sub zero cool heist based fun. At least there's a proper heist set piece.8/10
AD
