Ocean's Twelve

Danny Ocean (George Clooney) is in trouble. He and his crew have been ratted out by an unknown source to Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the unforgiving victim of the first film’s heist. Ocean’s team now have two weeks to give the money back, plus interest. Unable to show their faces in America, they travel to Europe to clear their debt.

More money means a bigger job, a bigger job means a bigger crew, and so Catherine Zeta Jones is added to the already stellar cast as an Interpol detective with a romantic past involving Pitt’s Rusty Ryan. But she is by no means the only upgrade to the phenomenally successful prequel, as the culturally exquisite locations provide an easier on the eye backdrop whilst France’s biggest actor Vincent Cassel (La Haine) stars as world renowned criminal the Night Fox, a man insulted by the suggestion that Ocean is the greatest living thief.

Like Ocean’s Eleven, this is hardly taxing entertainment, there is never a sense that Clooney and Co. have lost control even in the worst of situations, and there are numerous distracting cameos from the likes of Eddie Izzard and a hilarious tongue-in-cheek scene involving Bruce Willis as himself. But, like Ocean’s Eleven, this is all part of the fun.

What sets this film apart from its infinite imitators is the sheer quality of production. Exceptionally well directed by Steven Soderbergh, the conventional themes are undermined by unconventional camerawork which keeps the viewer on their toes whilst oozing class. The film’s production was famous for the practical jokes the cast played on each other, and this camaraderie is clear in the stunning ensemble cast, Clooney and Pitt in particular having an almost telepathic on screen relationship.

It was clearly a blast to make and this sense of fun is infectious, the easy charm of the characters providing the perfect foil for a complex, twisting plot involving more glamorous locations and inventive heists than you can shake a stick at. Entertainment of the highest order, Ocean’s Twelve is what happens when Hollywood’s most talented stars get together to enjoy themselves, and it’s impossible not to join in.

Peter Lefort