Ocean's 11

[KLAXXON]

A group of comic criminals plot a daring caper in Las Vegas. Their plan nearly succeeds when an unexpected event occurs...



The Rat Pack, Las Vegas, casino heists - it couldn't get much more iconic than this, surely? Unfortunately iconic does not always mean brilliant, and while "Ocean's Eleven" certainly isn't terrible, it isn't that wonderful either.

11 wartime buddies (Sinatra, Lawford, Martin, Davis, and crew) plan a series of heists across five Las Vegas casinos in a single evening. Along the way, they pause only to knock back innumerable whisky sodas, hang out in bars, and belt out a couple of classy little numbers. The women (including a cameo from Shirley MacLaine) are mostly classy little numbers as well - this is, after all, very much a 'guy's guy movie'.

Superficially it has a certain style about it - something that "Swingers" clearly recognised and exploited - but it doesn't take long for that to pall. There are just too many main characters for any of them to develop any depth, too many shots of casino signs sparkling in the night, and too little pace and plot to pull the whole thing together. The heist and its consequences partially redeem the film.




A gang of World War II buddies - lead by Danny Ocean - plan to rob five Las Vegas casinos in one night.



The Rat Pack! Broads! Mobsters! Gambling! And then they went to work!

Leaving aside the superior Soderbergh version, the making of Lewis Milestone's 1960 Las Vegas heist caper would make a much more interesting movie than the knockabout comedy on offer here. Indeed, the double duties pulled by the principal cast during the shoot (playing two shows a night at The Sands) are evident in the sluggish pace, sleepy performances and narrative stitched together out of whatever scenes Sinatra showed up for.

Still, there are many incidental pleasures to be had, not least Sammy (cast as a garbage man, apparently because Sinatra was feeling spiteful) singing E-O-Eleven, Dean swinging the old Sahara lounge, Nelson Riddle's sizzling score and some neat hipster dialogue.





From smokes to suits, you get a real flavour of Las Vegas while it was still cool - all of it beautifully shot by the veteran cinematographer William Daniels.





Frank Sinatra ...  Danny Ocean
Dean Martin ...  Sam Harmon
Sammy Davis Jr. ...  Josh Howard
Peter Lawford ...  Jimmy Foster
Angie Dickinson ...  Beatrice Ocean
Richard Conte ...  Anthony Raymond 'Tony' Bergdorf
Cesar Romero ...  Duke Santos
Patrice Wymore ...  Adele Ekstrom
Joey Bishop ...  'Mushy' O'Connors
Akim Tamiroff ...  Spyros Acebos
Henry Silva ...  Roger Corneal
Ilka Chase ...  Mrs. Restes
Buddy Lester ...  Vince Massler
Richard Benedict ...  'Curly' Steffens
Jean Willes ...  Mrs. Gracie Bergdorf




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