The complete Hollywood Masala movie ! . Review on Ocean's Twelve

A COMPLETE ENTERTAINMENT PACKAGE

You say there are no formulas in Hollywood and it is a complete Hindi film phenomena, think again ! A Heist is one formula that is frequently used in the Hollywood, and successful all the time. A group of men or women, doing a dangerous or fascinating crime with lots of slick dialogues and comedy?..you would just pay to see the chemistry between so many stars?.it?s a complete entertainer.

So like a heist movie?.I have also made my review a complete entertainer. There is the usual review of the film?.then I have a list of top 5 of my favorite heist movies similar to the Ocean?s, then I also have a note of Steven Sodernberg in mainstream cinema and finally I have the trivia of Ocean?s 12 and wonderfully memorable dialogues from the movie in the comments section. So read on partner?..

CASH FOR LIFE ?ABOUT THE MOVIE

In Ocean?s 11 they looted three casinos for money and fun in 12 they loot for there life ! Yes Terry Benedict is back ?.and with vengeance ! He tracks down all of the members of the dispersed group and gives them 14 days to give him his money back?.with INTEREST !

The apprehensive team gets back together?.and the first problem?.calling them Ocean?s 11?.they don?t work for Daniel Ocean do they ? Now all of them have spent a lot of Benedicts money and have a lot of money to catch up with it and they cant work in the US so they fly down to Europe and take up small to large jobs to pay Benedict back. The problem is this time?.they cant work in peace?.there are people watching out for them.

First there is Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta Jones) an ambitious cop of the EUROPOL (Europe version of Interpol). She does manage to track them down and it?s not a tough task because she happens to be our favorite Rusty Ryan?s ex ! But as if it were not enough, on there first job in Amsterdam Ocean?s boys find out that there is a bigger problem. Someone did there job before them and left them a voice message, that someone is NIGHT FOX- the best thief there is in the world.

Now Night Fox has a personal problem with Daniel Ocean. His mentor Le Marck (the former best thief in the world) thinks by doing the Benedict Job?.Ocean claimed the coveted top thief award?..and Night Fox has to prove him wrong. So he challenges the Ocean team for a competition. How can you find out who is a better thief?.it?s simple both go out for the same thing ! The competition and chemistry with Night Fox forms the basis for rest of the story and for almost three forth of the story your forget about Benedict ?.or (mark my words) IS IT ?

So who is the 12th member ? Well few of the members think Tess looks like Julia Roberts?.that should be hint enough?no more spoilers !

The movie has a multiple twist and turns even more than it?s predecessor and wonderful comedy and great dialogues. The plot too gets interesting every moment.

On the flip side ?.the story through it?s slick edit pattern becomes complicated at times. Way to many flash back and a unique style of story telling becomes detrimental to the plot. You feel that certain twist in the tale are just added for the heck of it. Also Lahiri?s character is completely wasted. If you are looking for more roles of the other members of the crew other than Rusty, Ocean and Linus?.you are mistaken. There role is even shorter than in the first. There is no laid out plan and things to get haywire and out of control at times.

12 vs 11 . COMPARING THE MOVIE

So which is better . Arguable, certainly. It?s like comparing chalk and cheese?.both the stories are very very different. 12 has an advantage that the characters are established so we take off with the story straightaway. Also the character of Night Fox is an interesting addition to the tale?first you steal and now steal and compete is more fun?.but at the end of the day 12 is quite against the spirit of a heist. Like I said before the 11 principal members have very little role. On the other hand 11 has a linear story and less number of twists than 12 but equally fascinating as above. So at the end of the day?.I guess 11 takes the cake?.yet like I said before?.arguable.

STEVEN SODERNBERG IN MAINSTREAM CINEMA

?Sodernberg is the the next Speilberg !? , someone once said. I agree to that totally because Steven Sodernberg is my favorite director?.but then he has done way too many art movies, and non commercial stuff?.and that?s what I like about him the most ! ?Sex, Lies and videotape? was total non commercial, ?Traffic? you would agree was more art than mainstream although the box office did not elude it totally, and ?Erin Brockovich? had it?s art moments eventhough a mainstream cinema.

But for a movie like the ?Ocean?s series? that is totally ?masala??..we would have to think. You see the plot and actors of the Oceans are so good that any director and I mean anyone could have made a hit movie?.but does Steven bring something extra?let?s see now.

For one Sodernberg has great ability to bring the best out of his actors. Also he does rely a lot of dialogue and dialogue delivery (recall the dialogues in Traffic !) which is a USP of the Oceans. Infact as you know that Ocean 11 is a remake of the movie of the same name starring Frank Sinitara, the fans of the erstwhile Oceans complained that it?s new avtar ?had a lot of talk and less work?. But that?s pretty okay at times. But the most important thing which Steven brings is non linear story telling. Many directors use it but Steven Sodernberg overuses it.

He has a great talent for this but again ?..not everyone wants to use too much of there brains while they watch a movie. So as far as mainstream cinema goes?..Steven Sodernberg has to start thinking about his audience a bit and not overuse his talent?.and yes he has a lot of catching up to do with Steven Speilberg in this regard !

Top 5 of my favorite Heist movies.