Ocean's Thirteen

"Ocean's Thirteen" is surprisingly good, after the disappointing sequels that were Spiderman and POTC. The Rotten Tomatoes consensus says "another slick and entertaining heist film", and I fully agree.

Apart from the introduction which presents the premise of the heist, the rest of the movie benefits from tight pacing and a decent script. There are quite a few funny lines, in-jokes and various real-life references, but I'm not sure the heartland audience -we watched at Junction 8- had any inkling, because there weren't many laughs except at the slapstick humour parts. Which sort of diminished my enjoyment of the movie, because I was quietly smirking instead of laughing out loud, and feeling awkward when it seems that I'm the only one/few who got the joke. I'm pretty sure that if I were watching with a younger/more ang moh audience, there would have been more commotion in the theatre.

Anyway, those who have watched "11" and "12" would know this movie isn't, and shouldn't be about the laughs. The real highlights are the multitude of elaborate tricks Ocean and gang have up their sleeves, and in that regard, I think the scriptwriters were pretty ingenious. Its predecessors and m:i:3 set pretty high standards for the "heist" genre, so I'm glad "13" isn't a letdown in the stratagem stakes.

It helps that the sets were well-designed, and the all-star cast gave a laudable performance. A sombre-looking George Clooney demonstrated why he is only one of two men twice voted the sexiest on the planet; the other being co-star Brad Pitt, who looks slightly haggard though still oozing manly charm. Matt Damon has grown into his comedic role since the first movie, and it's one of those rare instances that I'm impressed by him. I liked Andy Garcia's playful wile, though Al Pacino was less ostentatious and more subdued than I was expecting him to be as the main antagonist. Ellen Barkin, the only notable female in the testosterone-charged cast, was also great comedy relief as the "woman of a certain age" who has fallen head over heels over Damon's character - with a prosthetic nose, no less.

And the Oprah segments are incredibly hilarious, yet pretty inspiring!

Overall a satisfactory movie experience, and a breath of fresh air amidst all the CGI-infested summer blockbuster sequels. Great for guys and gals alike.