When Pamela Anderson and Paris Hilton are at a loose end they create low grade sex tapes. Between films Keanu Reeves and Russell Crowe turn out turgid noises in over exposed pub bands. In this context we should be thankful that when Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney lark about there is a vaguely entertaining film to show for it.
Ocean’s Twelve picks up three and a half years after Ocean’s Eleven ended. Now living the high life following their monster robbery Danny Ocean (Clooney), Rusty (Brad Pitt) and the rest are brought back down to earth when the angry casino owner they ripped off tracks them down and demands his money back with interest. A lot of interest. Faced with the prospect of painful deaths the gang regroups and sets out to steal enough money to save their skins.
Whereas Ocean’s Eleven focussed on a simple grand heist Ocean’s Twelve is a mish mash of activity. The script, originally turned created for John Woo, has been revised to accommodate fifteen principle characters. Unfortunately most of there have nothing to do except make up the numbers and collect their pay checks. If fact one wonders whether anyone buying a ticket for this film actually wants to see more of Scott Caan and Casey Affleck and less of Brad Pitt and George Clooney? If these people exist their numbers are likely to be small as the certainty of their surnames being Caan or Affleck is large.
Thankfully Clooney and Pitt still possess more charisma than the combined population of Belgium. However their plush suits and pivotal roles leave Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta Jones seeming almost dowdy and inconsequential by comparison. None of the briefly shown European locations are captured as vividly as Las Vegas was in the original with the film sometimes feeling like a package holiday where you spend most of the time on the coach with the tour rep describing where you are going to see next.
What Ocean’s Twelve lacks in originality it makes up for with in jokes. hardly a scene passes without a sly reference being slipped in. The crowning conceptual joke of having Julia Roberts’ character having to pretend to be Julia Roberts is so absurd a Scary Movie style spoof would have dismissed it as being too over the top. The stellar cast and slick are the only draw to this flabby conceived and executed cash in.