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November 2007
DVD REVIEW:
OCEAN’S THIRTEEN |
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By Kam Williams
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Third Ocean Adventure Arrives on DVD Upping the ante in terms of intrigue while toning it down in terms of action, Ocean’s Thirteen is a relatively-cerebral affair compared to the franchise’s prior offerings. All the boys are back in this cast crowded with male matinee idols, starting with George Clooney as ringleader Danny Ocean, and including Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle and Casey Affleck. Meanwhile, the movie introduces Ellen Barkin as its fetching femme fatale and Al Pacino as Willie Bank, a ruthless mobster who has just bilked Reuben (Elliott Gould) of the millions he was about to retire on. The rat pack proves that there is still honor among thieves when they reunite for the sake of their ailing mentor. And since Bank is about to launch a new casino in Vegas, they decide to rig the games so that the house will lose $500 million on opening night. This unanticipated expense leads the gang to make strange bedfellows, with former adversary Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). They offer the cutthroat crime boss a share of the profits in return for financial backing of the costly operation. He agrees, and at this juncture the story splits into several parallel plots as each co-conspirator prepares for D-Day in his own inimitable fashion. Remember that the appeal of this familiar formula rests not in the execution of the patently preposterous crime caper, but in the easygoing badinage among the members of the ensemble. Approaching Ocean’s Thirteen with this in mind, you’re likely to enjoy this downright comfortable diversion that doesn’t ask much except that you turn off your brain, sit back and relax.
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