Movie Review
Ocean's Thirteen
Ocean's 13 poster
By Lee Tistaert     Published June 14, 2007
US Release: June 8, 2007

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: George Clooney , Brad Pitt , Matt Damon , Al Pacino

PG-13 brief sensuality
Running Time: 122 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $117,144,465
C+
40 of 150
Ocean's 13 is a stylish caper flick that has its moments, but it loses steam as there's not much of a plot.
"Ocean's 13" is a stylish caper flick that has its moments, but it loses steam as there's not much of a plot. This ensemble is back once again after Ocean's 12 wasn't very well received, and though thirteen does improve over the last one in various areas, it turns dull and pretty lame the more it plays. Twelve was a supreme case of style over substance, but I liked the style. I think Steven Soderbergh's camera shots and music selections are cool, though the movie didn't work in terms of story; it was a guilty pleasure. Ocean?s 13 was working as another guilty pleasure during the first half, but the charm just fades as it churns out unnecessary subplots and overly cute in-jokes.

Ocean's 13 has a lot of glitz and glamour in the cinematography and production design, and that works for a decent chunk of the running time. The actors also look serious in terms of wanting to rebound from the last installment, but the characters are still running on a loose plot that doesn't ask them to do much. The movie, like the last, is still kind of an excuse for Soderbergh to present them in as suave a manner as possible. It?s kind of fun, but for a third time around it should be more than that; the style is routine at this point.

The movie is straightforward and there is very little suspense. The plot, which is a simple revenge story to get even with Al Pacino's character, is cheap, but various subplots are thrown in to make this seem more complicated than it really is. For the most part, the cast does a pretty good job with the repartee, though the dialogue still lacks the wit and intelligence behind Ocean's 11. Pacino works as the villain, but he's also not doing anything we haven?t seen from him before; Ellen Barkin delivers the best performance here.

The cast is having a good time, but it still comes down to the material; a silly subplot about Mexican factory workers, an ongoing slapstick gag about hotel health hazards, and cute jokes about Oprah make this third outing outlandish. It's all supposed to be light and cute fun, but that's what the second installment was. Sequels are supposed to get better in progression, and though few succeed, I was a bit letdown by this one's shortcomings.
Lee's Grade: C+
Ranked #40 of 150 between I'm Not There (#39) and Pirates...Caribbean 3 (#41) for 2007 movies.
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
A0.4%
B30.0%
C61.7%
D8.0%
F0.0%
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