I laughed quite a bit in the hall.
It was so much fun, no doubt.
And as I walked out, I could hear a bunch of guys discussing: “Looks like nobody got it… What was it all about? Maybe we should wait for Ocean’s 13.”
I share the sentiment.
I think you need to watch this a second time to get what actually happens, more like Mission Impossible 1 or let’s say Vanilla Sky. But then, from what I understood from the film, even if you watch it the second time, I don’t think you’ll buy the plot… the plot is a bit of a let down.
In his pursuit of doing a fitting sequel to Ocean’s 11, Soderberg seems to have lost the plot literally but thanks to some awesome camera angles, slick cuts, howlarious moments, especially, the bonding scenes and the some great twists and some odd turns, the movie certainly lives up to the promise of an exciting team out to do yet another job, if you just forgive the conveniently simple way the guys pull off the job!
Ocean’s 11 was about a robbery that happens, but not in the way the director sets it up. True to that knot, Oceans 12 is also about a robbery which is not executed the way the director initially wants you to believe but the only difference here: The way they finally rob, somehow does not sound even half as exciting as the other plans the team comes up with. Why have a plan that can be done with a handful of freshers executed by a team of Ocean’s calibre?? If the simplicity in plot was the intention, then why not something even more ridiculously simpler? The simplicity if intended was probably to highlight the irony involved by comparing it with the complexity with which the world’s best thief steals the same thing. But still, that’s a big let down after the super build up and all that planning shown!
That ignored, the movie’s a blast. Rocking music, slick visuals — Soderberg once again blends the documentary-style filmmaking with hand-held cameras and classical old-film feel camerwork with plenty of supers (super imposed text)and uses new-age MTV inspired jump cuts to provide a very stylish retro feel. There are plenty of smart lines, expressions which women are likely to find super-cute. What with Brad Pitt and Clooney around!
The Europol Catherine Zeta Jones intro scene where she talks about the most popular thief Night Fox reminded me of our desi cop flicks where commissioners of all districts sit around to bitch about the most wanted criminal and his past record. I almost saw Captain Vijayakanth rise and say: “Night Faax nari ah irakalaam, ana intha Captain minadi verum ordinary” before he walks away out of the hall in slow motion and Deva’s score to elevate the impact.
(For the benefit of those who don’t know Tamil: Nari in Tamil means Fox… So, “He mite be Night Nari, but in front of Captain, he’s just Ordinary!”)
ha ha! Anyway, the movie is full of surprises, some convincing and some completely out of our Hindi fillums… the Chinky dude hiding in a suitcase is a bit too much to digest even by Captain film standards… but help yourself! Ocean’s Twelve is great company, join the party, drop in with a pinch of salt and lemon and you have a classic Tequila shot ready!
MADRAS INK. 