Review

Review Date: 14-December-04
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Just OK

Ocean's Twelve (2004)

Sometimes it's hard for the conscientious critic to discuss a movie's sense and purpose without giving too much away. I suppose, then, that I should be glad to review "Ocean's Twelve," since I'm not sure what the hell was going on for most of it and have no chance of overexposing key points. But glad I'm not. In remaking "Ocean's Eleven" in 2001, Steven Soderbergh sought to transplant a bit of '60s cool into the new millennium, and he had the good sense to let a crime caper season the main course of roguery and repartee. In "Ocean's Twelve," however, he smothers his work in its own cool, aiming only to fulfill the requirements of a sequel without making any advancements in character or plot. The result just barely manages to satisfy, and that mostly during the first half.

The film's selling point is that the headliners (and taggers-along) from the first movie all return to pick up a paycheck. The opening scenes reintroduce the 11 men who robbed the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas a few years back, including suave ringleader Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his unflappable right-hand man, Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt). Back in the picture, too, is their one-time victim (Andy Garcia), whose thirst for vengeance has finally transformed itself into action. Given the choice to pay back the millions they stole (with interest) or die, Ocean and his chums opt to get back on the heist wagon. Because they're too visible in the States (and because it makes a fitting backdrop for coolness), they decide to try their luck in Europe.

Once there, things go from enjoyably irrelevant to downright muddled. Fresh-faced felon Linus (Matt Damon) tries to move up the ranks, with confusing results. As Danny's wife (Julia Roberts) waits back home, the female cool quota is maintained by Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a detective who specializes in international art theft and just happens to be Rusty's ex. And, as if it weren't bad enough to have a do-or-die deadline and a government agent dogging their every move, the gang is challenged by Europe's most famous thief (Vincent Cassel) to prove themselves the best in the business.

And so it goes, with lots of people who are chic, gorgeous, or sort of familiar from the first movie flitting through the museums, catacombs, and cafés of the OId World. The actors seem moderately pleased to be there, but only Zeta-Jones makes an impression through the advantage of freshness and some semblance of a character arc (although the sappy ending she has to endure is appalling). The parts of "Ocean's Twelve" that work are fleeting instants of humor (e.g., Topher Grace's self-mockery, snippets of wise-guy banter); the parts that don't work, unfortunately, are longer (e.g., the horribly self-conscious Julia-Roberts-playing-Julia-Roberts segment, featuring an uncredited Bruce Willis). In addition, Soderbergh indulges his love of handheld camera too often, which emphasizes the disarray of the narrative and renders several scenes unbearable for anybody prone to motion sickness (like me).

All things considered, "Ocean's Twelve" does what it's supposed to do and no more. It brings back the cast of a popular movie with opportunities to look sexy, witty, or eccentric without wandering too deeply into new and unfamiliar territory. This may spell big box office and a few scattered moments of amusement, but it doesn't add up to good moviemaking.

Copyright © 2004 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.