Rating of
2.5/4
"Ocean's Thirteen" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 03/31/12
A ruthless hotel owner cheats Reuben out of his share of the property and so the gang decide to extract retribution by ruining him and taking everything he's got. The Ocean's franchise, although better than the horribly self-indulgent original rat pack film, has never quite lived up to its potential. The first film started great but got rather mechanical and joyless for the second half. The second film started well but the second half was, well, garbage. Third time's the charm however, as the latest chapter is a big improvement over them both. The balance of comedy and action is maintained throughout the film at last, there's no Julia Roberts to be seen (yes!) and Pacino makes a much more charismatic villain than the inanimate Andy Garcia character. There's also plenty of comic asides from the Clooney/Pitt double act and Don Cheadle has finally tamed his still silly, but now bearable mockney accent. The plot twist is a little obvious and a couple of the characters barely get a look in, but that's better than it being bloated and overlong. A stylish and sassy heist thriller and the best of the series.
