Ocean’s Eleven
Year: 2001
Rating: PG-13
Length: 116 minutes / 1.93 hours
While I usually agree with people who say that remakes are worse than the originals, Ocean’s Eleven (2001) is an exception. Not only did it bring the same amount of star power that made the original stand out, but it had a heist that was much more entertaining and compelling than its predecessor. Having re-watched it recently, I found it still stands up over 20 years later, even if it’s starting to show its early-2000 edges. I still think it’s a classic that works because of its complexity and scale.
It’s impressive how there are so many big names in this movie, yet they all have their room to shine. There’s a reason many of them are still making great movies today, and their talent is on full display here. And perhaps the collective charisma of this all-star cast makes the heist they pull off so thrilling. Sure, I already knew how they were going to do it, but I still noticed details I hadn’t picked up on in all my previous viewings. The stakes were definitely higher than the 1960 version, that’s for sure.
For all the “cool” and “suave” mannerisms and dialogue, I can see how it would appeal to a younger version of myself. Even if Danny (George Clooney) wanted to show Tess (Julia Roberts) the true nature of her new love (Andy Garcia), he did it in a way that feels more arrogant than I remembered—and the scene where he interrupts their dinner proves my point, I think. The high-contrast and saturated look of this film feels like it fits stylistically with the early-2000s—which unfortunately hasn’t gotten much better since then. Overall, though, Ocean’s Eleven is a fun remake that was strong enough to merit two sequels.
A star-studded and entertaining heist film, I give Ocean’s Eleven 4.0 stars out of 5.
