Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #121384 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-02-25
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Italian
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 116 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Ocean's Eleven improves on 1960's Rat Pack original with supernova casting, a slickly updated plot, and Steven Soderbergh's graceful touch behind the camera. Soderbergh reportedly relished the opportunity "to make a movie that has no desire except to give pleasure from beginning to end," and he succeeds on those terms, blessed by the casting of George Clooney as Danny Ocean, the title role originated by Frank Sinatra. Fresh out of jail, Ocean masterminds a plot to steal $163 million from the seemingly impervious vault of Las Vegas's Bellagio casino, not just for the money but to win his ex-wife (Julia Roberts) back from the casino's ruthless owner (Andy Garcia). Soderbergh doesn't scrimp on the caper's comically intricate strategy, but he finds greater joy in assembling a stellar team (including Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and Carl Reiner) and indulging their strengths as actors. The result is a film that's as smooth as a silk suit and just as stylish. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker
Steven Soderbergh's remake of the famously lazy Vegas heist movie from 1960 bristles with energy. Instead of the ineffably casual Rat Pack, Soderbergh has a cast of hardworking guys: George Clooney in the old Sinatra role as the criminal mastermind, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, and, in colorful support, Elliott Gould and Carl Reiner. Soderbergh constructs the movie in layers with lines of terse dialogue winging on and off the screen and fitting perfectly together. The robbery itself also depends on many interlocking pieces of theatre-moments of imposture and fakery which allow the gang members to breach the inner sanctum of the cASINos. Despite all the cleverness and good humor, however, the movie peters out, and, by the end, you may wonder what it's all for. With Julia Roberts in a senseless role as a magnificently dressed art expert who works as "curator" at the Bellagio. -David Denby
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Stylish, smart and cool - just don't think about it too hard
"Ocean's Eleven" is a Ferrari of a movie: cool, stylish, and classy. And if, like a Ferrari, it doesn't always work, that's OK - who will complain when it's so stylish?

The premise is lifted right out of the 1960 Rat Pack original: Danny Ocean (George Clooney, suave as hell) is released from prison, and plots to steal over $163 million from the vault of a Las Vegas casino during a heavyweight fight. He recruits his old buddy Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), and they put together a dream team of crooks, each of whom has a specialty. There's a computer geek, a demolition expert, a con man, a pickpocket, and so on.

And, of course, there's Danny's ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts), who's now involved with the manager (Andy Garcia) of the casino Danny intends to rob. So, Danny's not only after money - he wants his girl back as well. But she's having nothing of it, as evidenced by this neat dialogue piece:

Danny: "I've paid my debt to society."

Tess: "Funny, I haven't gotten my check yet."

Dialogue like that is one of the great pleasures of this movie; watching it delivered by the likes of Clooney, Roberts, Pitt and the stellar supporting cast (Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould, et al) is the other.

And, in fairness, it's a good thing that the dialogue and acting is so good, because as a pure caper flick, "Ocean's Eleven" is, to be charitable, a little thin. In the best caper movies ("The Heist" comes to mind), the theft itself is the star of the movie - the intracicies, the backup plans, the intrigue. In "Ocean's Eleven," we're expected to believe that a casino with over $150 million in its vault wouldn't have a backup power generator, or that the vault's security system wouldn't have a motion sensor.

But criticisms like that are akin to nitpicking that red Ferrari 575 because it has a small trunk - the point isn't realism, it's style, and like a Ferrari, "Ocean's Eleven" has it in droves.

An all-around great film
With enough star power to light Las Vegas (as long as no one's around with a pinch), Ocean's Eleven comes packed with all the action, suspense, comedy, and George Clooney a girl could want (guys, substitute 'Julia Roberts' for 'George Clooney'). George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, and Elliot Gould, among others, make the picture sparkle with superb acting, while excellent directing from Steven Soderbergh keeps the picture down-to-earth, funny, and interesting without losing the element of suspense.

The plot, based on the 1960 Rat Pack film of the same title, is equally good; the characters especially are well written and casted. The Ocean's Eleven, as well as other main characters are unique and realistic, and very well interpreted by the cast. Even the costumes used help to make the film unforgettable.

Definitely a firm recommendation for anyone who likes a good movie--this one's got it all, supense, humor, and action. Just be careful while laughing on the edge of your seat; it tends to be dangerous.

Intriguing movie quote: "Ted Nugent called. He wants his shirt back."

Great Stars, Great Movie
I've got to admit, half the fun of this movie is the star-gazing. George Clooney is great as a convict recently released from jail, Brad Pitt is Mr. Suave as his right-hand man, and Julia Roberts plays the icy ex-wife beautifully. Throw in Matt Damon as a pick-pocket and Andy Garcia as a casino mogul and you've got the gist of this movie's star power.
The plot is pretty simple: Danny Ocean (Clooney) organizes a group of eleven highly skilled criminals to simultaneously rob three of Vegas' biggest casinos. Their plans are over the top and outrageous-and you can't help but smile watching them put into action. There are also some really memorable touches in the movie: including Brad Pitt teaching Shane West and Topher Grace how to play poker. This movie kind of serves as a who's-who in Hollywood. "Oceans" probably won't spark any deep conversations or teach you any life lessons, but it's fun watching the celebrities interact onscreen. If you want something deep and thought-provoking, this probably isn't your movie. But if you want to watch something purely for entertainment, this is a great and fun film.