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OCEAN'S TWELVE (2004) (***)

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Steven Soderbergh (SOLARIS) usually makes smart films, but here he returns to his cool mode for the sequel to his OCEAN’S ELEVEN heist flick. The first film was fun disposable entertainment filled with stars. The sequel has the same flare.

The film begins with Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia, MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS) — the casino owner who gets robbed in the first film — tracking down the original heist gang and threatening to kill them if they do not return the cash they stole plus interest. So Danny Ocean (George Clooney, INTOLERABLE CRUELTY), now married to Benedict’s ex-wife and his former wife Tess (Julia Roberts, CLOSER), regroups the gang and goes to Europe for his next heist.

However, this time the plans are made more complex by the keen eye of Rusty Ryan’s (Brad Pitt, 12 MONKEYS) ex-girlfriend and international police officer Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones, CHICAGO) and the presence of top thief François Toulour (Vincent Cassel, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF). The same team from the original film returns, but the standout is the developments with Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon, THE BOURNE IDENTITY), who wants to play a more central role in this caper.

The twists and turns of the plot are just as fun as the original and the quirkiness of the characters is still the same. There are a couple funny cameos from Topher Grace and Bruce Willis. Plus the film throws in a lot of movie celeb in-jokes that were just hilarious. All the actors look like they are having loads of fun, which takes over the entire film. The film is an entertaining diversion for the top crop of current actors and it’s a fun ride for the audience as well.

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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks