Ocean's Twelve

When you're watching Ocean's Twelve, it's easy to get the impression that screenwriter George Nolfi (Timeline) carved out a story, inserted the characters from the first film, and then judiciously removed any and all meaningful words that might hint at an actual narrative. After all, I saw and heard no mention of heists, con games or underhanded proceedings anywhere amidst the cacophony of personalities clashing for screen time. Rather, it seems like George Clooney, Brad Pitt and co. stepped on a plane immediately after the first film, headed to Europe, and promptly began hanging out and/or shooting, with or without any sense of professional purpose.

Granted, that's part of the fun of this franchise, although it can make it a bit aggravating at times. And it has to be said that, while Ocean's Eleven was quite possibly the world's easiest-ever movie to watch, Twelve is by comparison twice as hard to follow. Or, to borrow some of the doubletalk that our new Rat Pack is so good at, is it just that it makes half as much sense? Either way, you're likely to never get so much enjoyment while being so damn confused. Because Ocean's Twelve is a worthy successor in all respects.

The original eleven are back and, for better or worse, each of them is playing their requisite roles with a shine on for their monstrously successful first effort. It's to Nolfi's credit that he manages to properly corral most of this narrative anarchy into the framework of a two-hour film, especially given the fact that his original idea was of a mano-e-mano scrap between America and Europe's greatest thieves, rather than this eleven-on-one brouhaha. But the key difference between the two Ocean's films is this: during the first, the audience was brought along on the heist; this time around, we feel like it's being perpetrated against us.

While director Steven Soderbergh takes his sequel into edgier territory, particularly with the ghost of the Rat Pack watching over the original's proceedings, this film isn't necessarily the better for it. The dearth of extras on the just-released DVD further highlight the slapdash approach the filmmakers took with the project, which was admitted to have been born from a different source than the inspiration of the original screenwriters' pens.

Instead of the entertaining commentary track that was found on the first film, we're treated to a theatrical trailer and nothing more. Mind you, most movies these days earn (deservedly or not) two releases -- one for the bare-bones theatrical version and one for the gluttonous special edition -- but Ocean's Twelve isn't the kind of movie most folks would shell out dough twice to see...again, unlike the imminently watchable first film.

Whereas the first film left you lighter of wallet but at least beaming with a great story to share, this time the remnants amount to little more than the lint in your pocket. Because this time, they're not just winging it, flying by the seat of their pants or just generally making it up as they go along. There's actually a scheme, a strategy, a story in play. That means that, while we have to do all of the thinking, planning, and plotting, it is they, Danny Ocean's twelve, who reap the benefits.

Nolfi has tried hard to bathe these felons in a new European light but his pursuit of transantlantic, circuitous conspiracies and hexagonal heists has instead sadly led him, them, and us to a decidedly irresistible but ultimately imperfect crime. -- Todd Gilchrist