the Mind’s Chew Toy

While at Blockbuster.com the other day, we noticed that Danny Ocean and pals were now on DVD for a third time, with their film Ocean’s Thirteen. Since the store didn’t have much in the way of new films that we both wanted to see, we quickly snatched up a copy of this film.

Now, the only question: would the addition of newcomes Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin make this the best Ocean’s yet, or would the loss of Julia Roberts and the other gals be too much for Danny and his gang?

With such a large cast, it’s probably pretty hard to keep all the original members returning for film after film. Aside from the afore-mentioned loss of Julia Roberts and the other gal pals, the cast stays pretty much intact for this third film. Back are all the male members of the original crew, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle.

The first 2 films were able to split the screen time up pretty well between the actors, and the films seemed to make sure that each actor got to perform up to snuff. With this third try, the actors all seem a bit rushed, trying to get their 2 cents in before the camera whisks away to another character. Maybe it’s the more jumpy feel of the cameras, or maybe the cohesive unit they once were is falling apart - either way, it makes their performances suffer, and none of them are up to the fine performances they contributed to the first 2 films. Even new cast members Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin suffer from this same fate, almost not even being able to finish a sentence before the camera skips away.

The plot of the film is once again intriguing. The crew this time sets out for a bit of revenge, by way of bringing down an enormous casino in one night. This one’s personal, as the sap this time around is Pacino’s Willie Bank, who pulled a fast one on their mentor Ruben, portrayed once again by a very aged-looking Elliott Gould.

While the basic premise seems like a setup for a sure-fire third home run for the series, the director doesn’t seem to be quite as focused this time around. Instead, he tosses the viewer headfirst into a movie that already seems to be in progress, and then doesn’t slow down the scenes to let the viewer catch up. Instead, the heist keeps getting more and more complicated, eventually leaving the viewer far in the dust, plan-wise.

Of course, when the plan is executed, the viewer is pulled back in as they watch the cogs in motion, but by then the viewer has distanced themselves far enough from the film that they aren’t as committed to seeing the film through. With the first 2 films, the audience was wrapped up in the plan right from the get-go and felt a great sense of satisfaction when the plan came through for the team. Since the viewer is not as involved in the film, thanks to the feeling they missed the first 10 minutes of the film, that sense of euphoria - needed in any heist flick - only comes in slight bursts for Ocean’s Thirteen - if at all.

While the first two films managed to pull in an exciting cast of characters to create an all-star movie worthy of the title, Ocean’s Thirteen comes off looking like just another slapped together, in-for-the-money sequel. It’s a shame, and while Danny Ocean and his pals may come together for another film, Ocean’s Thirteen may prevent a lot of viewers from checking it out.

Then again, judging by the huge amount of sequels churning out of the movie-making machine in Hollywood, audiences love the fact that the film is a sequel, and tend to overlook some of the smaller things - like if it’s actually worth watching.

If you’re a huge fan of the other 2 films, you’ll probably end up being not overly disappointed. If you aren’t a fan of the first two, however, try checking out other films to see Pacino, Clooney, Pitt, Damon, Cheadle and the rest get the screen time (thus the showcase for their acting talents) that they deserve.