Ocean's Thirteen (2007) Review

"We can talk about that when I'm dead."
-Reuben Tishkoff



After Reuben Tishkoff's (Elliot Gould) business partner, Willy Bank (Al Pacino), screws Reuben out of being a partner in a new hotel and casino, Reuben suffers a heart attack.  The rest of Danny Ocean's (George Clooney) comes together to get revenge on Willy.  Together, they come up with an uber-complex scheme to destroy Willy, but they are forced to get help from an unexpected source, their old nemesis, Terry Benedict (Andy García), but can they trust him or he Benedict plotting something on his own?


What Works:

I'm a huge fan of Ocean's Eleven, but one of my only problems with the movie is why they went after Benedict.  Sure, he was kind of a jerk and someone who was very feared, but I don't really think he deserved to be robbed like that.  Ocean's Thirteen fixes that problem and gives us the best antagonist of the series in Willy Banks.  This is a guy who deserves to lose everything and the movie does a great job in getting us investing in watching him go down.  

We also get the best motivation for any of the characters of the series.  Their friend was hurt and they aren't going to stop until they get their revenge.  It's great to see these guys unite for their friend and we get a few really great scenes like Reuben's return to join the heist and when Saul (Carl Reiner) tells Danny that revenge-schemes are never a good idea, but refuses to walk away himself.  These guys are more than business associates, they're friends and this movie does a great job at showcasing this.

Thirteen is also the funniest of the films, with the two highlights being Danny and Rusty (Brad Pitt) watching Oprah (and the later payoff for that is fantastic) and Virgil (Casey Affleck) and Turk (Scott Caan) leading a strike at a Mexican factory.  I laughed a lot during this movie, which took me by surprise and made the experience very fun.

The heist itself was also very well done.  The scheme was extremely complicated with a lot of layers, but I never felt confused (unlike Twelve).  The film does a job of giving you a clear and concise picture of what is happening.  There is a lot going on, but the pieces are all there and the movie does its best to help you put it together.


What Sucks:

My only real complaint is the inclusion of Bobby Caldwell (Bob Einstein), the father of Linus (Matt Damon).  It just seemed like an retread of what happened with Linus' mother in Twelve.  You cut out that storyline completely and it would have improved the film.


Verdict:

While it isn't perfect, Ocean's Thirteen is almost as good as Eleven.  And after the hot garbage that was Ocean's Twelve, I'm am shocked this movie is this good.  This is how you make an Ocean's sequel.  All we need are likable characters and a coherent plot.  The rest will take care of itself and Ocean's Thirteen has absolutely got it going on.

 9/10: Great  

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