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Zone's Eye View of "Ocean's 11" |
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Synopsis of movie, courtesy of Warner Brothers: Dapper Danny Ocean (GEORGE CLOONEY) is a man of action. Less than 24 hours into his parole from a New Jersey penitentiary, the wry, charismatic thief is already rolling out his next plan. Following three rules — don't hurt anybody, don't steal from anyone who doesn't deserve it, and play the game like you've got nothing to lose — Danny orchestrates the most sophisticated, elaborate casino heist in history. In one night, Danny's handpicked 11-man crew of specialists — including an ace card sharp (BRAD PITT), a master pickpocket (MATT DAMON) and a demolition genius (DON CHEADLE) — will attempt to steal over $150 million from three Las Vegas casinos owned by Terry Benedict (ANDY GARCIA), the elegant, ruthless entrepreneur who just happens to be dating Danny's ex-wife Tess (JULIA ROBERTS). Coincidence or motive? Only Danny knows for sure. To score the cash, he'll have to risk his life and his chance of reconciling with Tess. But if it all goes according to Danny's intricate, nearly impossible plan, he won't have to choose between his stake in the heist and his high-stakes reunion with Tess…or will he?
Now for The Zone's Eye View By Laura Alber An intricate, complicated and masterminded scheme sets the tone for this exciting ride. Ocean’s 11 should make Vegas triple up on their security! The diverse cast including; George Clooney (Danny Ocean-the savvy originator), Brad Pitt (Rusty Ryan-the brains and well grounded 2nd in charge), Matt Damon (Linus Caldwell-the quiet spy/pickpocket), Casey Affleck (Virgil Malloy- 1 half of the Malloy twins and automobile buffs), Scott Caan (Turk Malloy- 2nd half of the Malloy twins), Don Cheadle (Basher Tarr-the electrician), Bernie Mac (Frank Catton-the Black Jack dealer), Carl Reiner (Saul Bloom-the “look of money” man for the plan), Shaobo Qin (Yen-a former 4’ tall circus acrobat, turned con by the infamous “11”), Elliott Gould (Reuben Tishkoff-the financial backer), and Edward Jemison (Livingston Dell-the "eye in the sky" surveillance expert), all brilliantly plot and describe their grand design. This is to simultaneously rob 3 major Las Vegas hotels, which all share the same underground vault and all happen to be owned by the same man, Andy Garcia (Terry Benedict). We find out quickly that George Clooney (Danny Ocean) has ulterior motives for choosing these particular hotels. It seems that his ex-wife (Julia Roberts-Tess Ocean) is now the girlfriend of Benedict. Ocean decides he wants his wife back and all of Benedicts money…Why? Why Not, he says. Backtracking to the very beginning of the film, we see Danny Ocean speaking to the parole board after finally being imprisoned for one of his many cons, with about a dozen that went uncharged. We see Brad Pitt in his current job, which is teaching actors how to play poker! This is a hilarious scene since the actors seem to be clueless to the game and you see Pitt’s frustration with the whole boring thing. The actors, actually play themselves, and include: Topher Grace, Shane West, Joshua Jackson and Holly Marie Combs. Once the Eleven needed are chosen and agree to this mission, they are given the assignment, which due to the incredible security seems completely impossible to pull off. Each step is detailed verbally and visually. A possibly similar plot to the recent “The Score” with Robert DiNiro, Ocean’s 11 definitely keeps your interest and throws in plenty of laughs, where “The Score” made you want to just yawn throughout the movie. These details are not often described like this. We get to hear the intricacies when usually all we get in other movies are action scenes and explosions. This was very refreshing and rather addicting. You find yourself going over the details in your own head, which is what every movie strives for: “audience participation”! Even though we know what the “plan” is, there are still many surprises throughout the movie. Shot in glitzy and glamorous Las Vegas, Soderbergh’s vision and photography was awesome, considering the difficult and many scene changes. Daytime in Las Vegas, Nighttime in Las Vegas, inside the casino (Real casino’s I might add), inside the hotel rooms, inside a warehouse, inside a regular house. All of these areas require completely different lighting challenges, and Steven Soderbergh also acting as the main cinematographer amazes me with his talent. Pulling double duty with directing and filming, he definitely shines on this film. If you want an edge of your seat, nail biting adventure, Ocean’s 11 is a must. I give it an 8 overall, for writing, directing, an incredible cast, photography and plot.
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