MOVIE REVIEW: Ocean's Thirteen

When the first movie came out six years ago, I loved every minute of it. Anything set in Vegas just has an instant appeal to me. Not to mention "Ocean's Eleven" was just cool by definition. Everything in the movie from the actors, the costumes and the sets just clicked. It was fantastic. Then three years later "Ocean's Twelve" was released. I am apart of the minority that liked this movie. I just watched it again on DVD and still enjoyed the movie. Not quite as much as the original, but enjoyed it none the less. So now we come to one of my most anticipated movies this summer.
"Ocean's Thirteen" takes us back to where it all began. Las Vegas. Reuben, played by Elliot Gould, partners with Willie Bank (Al Pacino). Together they plan to design the newest and hottest hotel on the sunset strip. After Reuben completes his end of the bargain, Bank forces him out of the deal and leaves him with nothing. As a result, Reuben suffers a heart attack and is left in the hospital. This obviously doesn't sit well with Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his crew. So OCean and Rusty (Brad Pitt) get the gang back together. This time, their goal is to make sure that the house loses. Bank will lose his casino on opening night after craps, slots and the card tables have all been rigged, thus allowing the players to win big. Of course, the gang needs a large sum of money to exact their revenge heist, so they recruite Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) who also has a vendetta against Bank's new hotel, which has "cast a shadow over the pool area of The Belagio."
The film is leaps and bounds over "Ocean's Twelve." Most people felt as though the actors had more fun making the movie than the audience had watching it. Not only do they take a more comedic route this time around, but the film never overstays its welcome. Just like the original, everything clicks.

All members of the cast are back except for Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Early in the film their absense is explained when Danny proclaims, "this is not their fight." Neither of them are missed in this outing as neither were that integral to the fun of the previous two. Replacing them is a new love interest for Matt Damon. Ellen Barkin, whi even at 50 is hot, plays Bank's personal assistant. There are also a few surprise actors that pop up as well. Do yourself a favor and watch the first two before watching this one. It will make it that much more fun.

The acting is on par with what you would expect from these people. The two actors who look like they are having the most fun are Scott Caan and Casey Affleck, who play brothers Turk and Virgil Malloy. Virgil is sent to work in a plastic factory in Mexico to rig the dice. Soon he leads his coworkers to strike for better working conditions and better pay. Danny then sends Turk in to put an end to the halt, and Turk ends up joining their cause as well. It was the highlight of the movie for me.Out of all the "three-quels" we have seen this summer, this is my personal favorite. "Spider-Man 3" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" have been both bashed by critics and audiences despite making a ton of money. "Pirates" was just boring and "Spider-Man" just felt a little cluttered. I have never been a "Shrek" fan either. If Clooney and the rest of the cast want to get together and do an "Ocean's" film every few years, then I am fine with that. With "Ocean's Thirteen," the franchise is back on a high note.