‘Ocean’s Trilogy’ Review and 4K Review
The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.
When you think of the “Ocean’s Trilogy,” you think of big movie stars, high stakes, and witty banter. These are individuals known for being con-artists and having a certain set of skills, but they bring an element of fun to the proceedings. They are interesting, layered, and unique. These are not your bargain basement crooks and thieves. These films are also aided by the direction of the stellar Steven Soderbergh. He makes everything pop and sizzle on screen. He knows how to add just the right amount of style to these films without taking away from his ensemble cast. The beauty of a Soderbergh film is the fact he can dabble in a number of genres and make a film successful both commercially and financially. He’s not just pigeonholing himself into one type of film. He can do an independent film that gets people talking or he can do blockbuster films like the “Ocean’s Trilogy.”
Let’s start with “Ocean’s Eleven,” which is, of course, a remake of the 1960 film starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. I don’t think it is fair to compare these two films as they are forty years apart, but I will say that both are entertaining and sleek in their own ways. Remakes in general tend to get a bad rap, but when they are done with the right people involved and the right mindset, they can really deliver the goods. It’s about taking an idea and making it your own without copying from the original source material. This is not always easy to accomplish, but they did that with “Ocean’s Eleven” in 2001.
The charming George Clooney stars as Danny Ocean, a professional thief who has recently been released from prison. Even though he served time, he’s on the lookout for his next big caper. Once he gets involved with the thrill of the chase and the risk and reward that comes with it, it’s hard to turn it down or live a normal lifestyle after that. He meets up with an old partner named Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), and they are looking to hit up Las Vegas for their next big heist. When it comes to a heist like this, money is important. They end up securing the money from Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould), and their plan is to rob three casinos in Las Vegas, which are owned by Tishkoff’s rival. The stakes are high, at $160 million, so they need to make sure they are on their A-game.
In order for Danny and Rusty to pull this off, they will need to assemble the right team. They enlist the help of Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle), Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison), Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon), Frank Catton (Bernie Mac), and Virgil and Turk Malloy (Casey Affleck and Scott Caan). Every one of them brings something unique and special to the table. Julia Roberts also shows up as the Danny Ocean’s ex-wife, Tess, and she has a bone to pick with Danny. Andy Garcia is in the film as well as Terry Benedict, the owner of the three casinos they are trying to rip off in the film.
For my money, “Ocean’s Eleven” is the best of the three films. The pacing is terrific, and there is never a dull moment in the film. Even though there are a lot of moving pieces, it never feels like the movie is overstuffed, boring or too long as it moves at a brisk pace. Also, when you have top-notch actors and actresses together, you know you are going to get some great performances. A big part of the fun of these films is seeing these Hollywood legends go toe-to-toe with one another.
Moving onto “Ocean’s Twelve,” which came out in 2004, I don’t want to go into too much detail on this film just in case you are watching this trilogy in order for the first time. I will say I found it to be a little bit more of a slog to sit through and a bit of a letdown after “Ocean’s Eleven.” It was merely an OK film. It was successful at the box office, but I didn’t find the story as engaging this time around. Of course, the characters are still entertaining and fun to spend time with, but since there isn’t a great story or plot to drive them, they quickly run out of steam here. It ends up being one of those films where the cast had a lot more fun making it than we had watching it.
In 2007, they came back with “Ocean’s Thirteen” which introduced Al Pacino to the proceedings and was once again directed by Soderbergh. Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones are missing here, which makes this film feel a bit off in regards to the female-male ratio. Roberts, especially, was such a big part of the first film, and Zeta-Jones was also very charming and lit up the screen in “Ocean’s Twelve.”
“Ocean’s Thirteen,” however, is a nice return to form after the lackluster and underwhelming “Ocean’s Twelve.” It’s almost as if Soderbergh sat down and realized what was missing from the last film and made sure to make up for those mistakes this time around. The addition of Al Pacino to the mix is also a juicy twist as well. What I enjoyed most about “Ocean’s Thirteen” is how it brought back the fun factor from the first film. “Ocean’s Twelve” was an entertaining film at times, but it was also a lazy one as well. This time, they work on making sure the fun is included along with a story that can hold its own in the process.
When these films work best in this franchise, it is when they realize we are just as interested in the story as we are in the characters. They go hand-in-hand. They play off each other in a sense. We love to see the characters in action and find out all of the twists and turns along the way. It was clear they put time, effort and brains into the first and third films. They lost their way a little in “Ocean’s Twelve,” which feels like a sequel they didn’t put a ton of thought into.
“Ocean’s Eleven” – * * * ½ out of * * * *
“Ocean’s Twelve” – * * out of * * * *
“Ocean’s Thirteen” – * * * out of * * * *
4K Info: The “Ocean’s Trilogy” is released on a three-disc 4K set from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. This set only includes the 4K discs, so if you are looking for Blu-rays and 4Ks together, you will not find them here. According to the press release, the 4K remasters of “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Ocean’s Thirteen” were completed at Warner Brothers Discovery’s Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) with the participation of Soderbergh. All of the films are rated PG-13, and their respective running times are 116 minutes, 125 minutes and 122 minutes. There is also a digital copy for each film which allows you to own all three copies of the trilogy. Subtitles are included in English, Spanish, and French.
Video Info: I really like the look of these movies on 4K. Having previously seen “Contagion” on 4K, also from Soderbergh, I’m happy to report this is another fantastic looking 4K set. Its color is vivid, bright and filled with a lot of life. It’s also dark and mysterious when things turn up a notch. All three of the films look great on 4K.
Audio Info: There is a lot of talking in these films as they are going over plans and information, and the dialogue comes in crystal clear on all three films. The soundtrack is just right in covering the dialogue, music and background noise without being too distracting. It captures the essence of each film.
Special Features:
“Ocean’s Eleven”
• Commentary by Steven Soderbergh and Ted Griffin
• Commentary by Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Andy Garcia
• Are You In or Out? The Making of Ocean’s Eleven
• Pros & Cons: Inside Ocean’s Outfit
• The Style of Steal
• The Look of the Con
• Original Ocean’s, Original Cool
“Ocean’s Twelve”
• Commentary by Steven Soderbergh and George Nolfi
• Ready, Jet Set, Go: The Making of Ocean’s Twelve
• HBO First Look: Twelve Is the New Eleven: The Making of Ocean’s Twelve
• Deleted Scenes
“Ocean’s Thirteen”
• Commentary by Steven Soderbergh, Brian Koppelman and David Levien
• Third’s a Charm: The Making of Ocean’s Thirteen
• Ahab with a Piggyback: The Means & Machines of Ocean’s
• Jerry Weintraub Walk and Talk
• Masters of the Heist
• Deleted Scenes
Should You Buy It?
I’m seeing this set go for about $55 right now online, which is a really good price. That’s a little less than $20 for each 4K. If you enjoy a good movie collection, this one is definitely recommended. You get all of the old special features included here along with updated 4K transfers on these films as well. These are 4K transfers where it is clear they put a lot of care and effort into them. They didn’t just throw them together. If you enjoy heist movies with great casts, you really can’t go wrong with this trilogy. I’d recommend you go out and buy this set right now at its current price. You can make a weekend out of watching all three films and really enjoy yourself.
**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free. The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.