Ocean's Thirteen - Film Of The Month

This is more like it. Leaving the smug self-congratulation of Twelve far behind, Ocean's Thirteen is a stylish, breezy confection that, from first to (almost) last, is all about the con instead of the Hollywood royalty doing the conning. The specifics of the plotting are both too dense and quite frankly, ludicrous, to elaborate, but it goes something like this: big time Vegas hotel owner Willy Bank (Pacino) reneges on a deal with Reuben (Elliot Gould, who all but steals the film with an absolutely delightful Godfather joke) to partner him in a new casino, leaving Reuben broke and nearly dead. Ocean (Clooney) and the boys (Pitt, Damon, et al) vow revenge on Bank by coming up with several hi-tech schemes to win so big on opening night that Bank will be ruined. An added complication arises when the one person able to finance their plan, old foe Terry Benedict (Garcia), will only do it if the boys steal some diamonds from Bank's impregnable penthouse while they're at it. And why is Vincent Cassel's Toulour (the bad guy from Twelve) hanging around the hotel?

Actually, it's quite a straightforward setup really, but the joy of the film lies in the way the intricacies of the scams are revealed, in the smooth byplay between the supremely talented players, and in Soderbergh's now finely polished direction. Truth be told, Clooney and Pitt actually have very little to do other than stand around in sharp jackets or wear silly disguises, but they do it with exquisite, effortless cool. Damon gets some decent screen time and laughs, while Casey Affleck and Scott Caan score the biggest yucks as the dopey, scrapping Malloy brothers. Though the zip and flair is back, the style quotient hasn't been sacrificed to accommodate it, with all these elements coming together to make Ocean's Thirteen probably the strongest of the trilogy. [Paul Greenwood]