Ocean's Thirteen (2007) User Reviews

Not as good as 11...Much better than 12.

[emrelanur · 8/10 · 8 August 2007]

Normally the sequel to a movie is a let down. Especially if the first part was really good. I think that's what's happened with Ocean's 12 for many but l hope this doesn't mean that they won't be watching '13'.

I was happy to see all of the same characters and actors together again because that is one big cool cast. Not to mention Al Pacino...icing on the cake.Who could resist?

For those who are in doubt about Ocean's 13, i hope you're not affected by some bad reviews because history doesn't repeat itself with this one. It's got an interesting story and some fabulous actors and acting. Don't miss out.

A tad drawn out though it does deliver by the end

[r96sk · 8/10 · 13 February 2020]

'Ocean's Thirteen' marks the end of the Ocean's trilogy in a good way.

It's slightly below the level of 'Ocean's Eleven' but does better 'Ocean's Twelve'. As with the preceding two, the cast elevate these films up with strong performances from George Clooney & Co. In regards to O13, I feel the plot is a tad drawn out though it does deliver by the end with its entertaining outcome.

Entertaining Yet Forgettable

[insectnation · 6/10 · 19 June 2007]

I went to see this movie with only one expectation, surely it cant be as bad as the second film. On this front i was greatly pleased as the sense of smugness surrounding twelve has been completely lost. The only real problem i had was that after the film finished i really struggled to remember anything particularly about it.

The performances were all OK but no one really stood out, whereas Matt Damon was the only person i didn't want to slap in twelve, he never gets the chance to shine. Al Pacino has no chance to make a memorable villain out of the limited screen time leaving you not really caring if they can pull off the job or not. Clooney and Pitt also do an OK job of an average script, but it never rises above OK.

The area i think this film falls down is with a cast that is too big, while inventive and different in the first film, just hinders this one. There are too many people trying to get their five minutes on screen to really give a damn. Maybe this is the directors feels we already care about them as we know the characters, when in reality the damage caused by twelve was enough to need character building again. Arguably a plot on a smaller scale would have been better with a sharp focus on one or two characters as in the first film.

While flashy this film is all about style over substance and if you are looking for a shallow but entertaining summer movie this may just be it.

Slightly Better Than Its Predecessor But Still No Match To The Original

[CinemaClown · 8 September 2017]

Slightly better than Ocean's Twelve but still not close to Ocean's Eleven, the third & final entry in The Ocean's Trilogy finds the original gang returning to Las Vegas for one last heist as things get a bit personal in this concluding chapter. Retaining the cool style & lighthearted vibe of its predecessors, the film does many things right but is still forgettable in the end.

The story of Ocean's Thirteen is set in motion when one of the original eleven is double crossed by his former business partner who now owns his new hotel-casino. When the gang finds out about it, they decide to avenge him by concocting a plan to spoil the new hotel's opening night but to pull it off, they turn to a foe who shares their contempt for the common enemy and offers his assistance.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Ocean's Thirteen marks a little improvement over its predecessor and, by taking a persona route, brings something new to the table. The light, playful tone remains in tact but the premise is more involving than it was the last time. Also, unlike the previous entry, the new addition to the ensemble plays a key role in the plot and has an interesting arc of his own.

While the story has an interesting outline, the writers still end up making the plot complex and not easy to follow. Not every twist n turn makes sense, some moments are as ludicrous as the second film's museum robbing sequence, and it expects the viewer to just go along with everything that's unfolding without questioning the logic of it all. Sometimes, it does work. Other times, it doesn't.

Coming to the performances, the original eleven return to reprise their respective roles once again. Vincent Cassel also makes an appearance while the most notable amongst the new additions is Al Pacino who plays the antagonist and utilises his infectious persona to great effect. Clooney & Pitt once again lead from the front but Damon gets a promotion as well while the rest play their part as expected.

On an overall scale, Ocean's Thirteen is a satisfactory conclusion to the saga of Danny Ocean & his associates, if not a memorable one, and offers a good, lighthearted dose of fun & amusement just like its predecessors. It corrects a few mistakes that were made in the second instalment but also ends up creating some new ones which stop it from reaching the heights & delights of the original. Nevertheless, it's worth a shot.

Yawn

[awvknj · 6/10 · 27 November 2022]

The boys are back but as for the girls...it was "not their fight" YAWN. Without the element of sexual tension the plot really fizzles instead of sizzles Matt Damon and Ellen Barkin brought a bit of fun to the film But it was only artifice So it was all about the humor and not caring about the outcome. No suspense here as we watched the players play and work out the bugs in their plans. It was nice to see Pacino but none of the characters really had any surprising scenes. A bit of humor with Oprah moving the boys to tears which resulted in a huge donation at the end of the film... And a few funny inside jokes like Clooney suggesting to Pitt that he should settle down and have a few kids. Lol. That's a wrap boys. Cash it out and call it an end to the franchise.

Back in Vegas to break the Bank

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 8 December 2017]

After the events of the previous films the gang are now going straight. One of them, Ruben, is even starting his own casino in Las Vegas… unfortunately his business partner Willy Banks cons him out of his half of the business and seems to find it funny when Ruben collapses and is hospitalised. Danny Ocean decides that they must get back together and take Banks for everything he's got. This won't be a conventional heist; they intend to rig a number of games so that the casino will have to pay out a massive $500,000,000 on its opening night. Since it is so personal for them they are also determined to ensure that the casino doesn't win the prestigious 'Five Diamonds' award for this casino and steal the four diamond necklaces he had made to represent the awards won by his other casinos. Obviously none of this will be easy.

This is a decent enough conclusion to the Ocean's trilogy; I liked the fact that it went back to its roots in Las Vegas without becoming a remake of the original film. The plot is obviously very far-fetched but that isn't really a problem if you can suspend your disbelief. There are plenty of good laughs, most notably their efforts to make sure the casino doesn't win the Five Diamonds by tormenting the reviewer and the way the man responsible for infiltrating the factory that makes the dice for the casino to rig them starts a strike over workers' pay, nearly spoiling the gang's plans. There are moments of tension as the plan moves into operation although I doubt many viewers will think they might ultimately fail. Most of the regular cast make a welcome return although Julia Roberts is missing, which was a pity. Al Pacino is suitably unpleasant as Willy Banks; a character it is easy to dislike. Overall I'd say this wasn't quite as good as 'Eleven' but it was a definite step up from 'Twelve'; definitely worth watching if you enjoyed the first film.

Movie Review: Ocean's Thirteen

[andydreamseeker · 7/10 · 7 June 2007]

So they're back, for a third time, after Ocean's Eleven in 2001 and Ocean's Twelve in 2004. First they took out three of Terry Benedict's (Andy Garcia) Las Vegas casinos at one go with a smart and clever plan in Eleven, then they had to pay it all back with interest to Benedict in Twelve by staging a different theft, now in Thirteen the team of eleven are back to casino stealing with a little help from again, Benedict.

The unlucky guy is Willy Banks (Al Pacino) who owns a series of highly rated "5 Diamonds" hotels. The team is not in for the money this round but for revenge because Banks had done the disfavour of first knocking Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould), one of the Eleven, from a hotel deal causing the man a heart-attack and a sudden lost in zest for life. You could say old Willy Banks had it coming for him because his ego was too big for himself. He had without any regards dismissed the Eleven's attempt for him to reinstate Reuben's share of the hotel.

As it reads, "What are the odds of getting even? 13 to 1." It's time to place your bet.

Good guys versus bad guys. I cannot really call thieves good guys can I? How about nice guys then? These guys are nice. They have a sentimental heart. They watch Oprah. These guys are nice. They have a heart of gold. They will do anything for a friend. And these guys are cool, handsome and funny too.

Danny Ocean (George Clooney), Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon), Frank Catton (Bernie Mac), Virgil Malloy (Casey Affleck), Turk Malloy (Scott Caan), Saul Bloom (Carl Reiner), Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle), "The Amazing" Yen (Shaobo Qin), Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison) and Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) make up the Eleven. Strong cast and strong performance is to describe the ensemble.

Let me re-familiarize you to the team. Danny and Rusty are the mastermind and deputy. Linus is the rookie turned master thief. Frank is the professional dealer. Virgil and Turk are brothers who are experts in everything (they kind of do everything and run everywhere). Saul is the old and characteristic actor con-artiste. Basher is the demolition and machinery expert. "The Amazing" Yen is the well… the amazing Yen who is skilled in acrobatic. Livingston is the guru in surveillance and an electronic geek. And of course lastly we have Reuben who is the old man with the money and Danny's mentor.

No worries if you can't remember their roles. You can't be blamed for that. There are after all eleven of them. Just remember them as master of disguises. Lots of that will appear in the film.

What make a film like Ocean's Thirteen worth watching is watching all the characters. It is fun to see all of them coming together in their own way to give the story its life. The acting is in one word, superb. And the actor who plays the bad guy, Willy Banks, Al Pacino is great. The facial expression whenever the veteran actor appears on screen is beyond words. Those eyes and that look, brilliant. Banks right hand man, or woman, and the only mentionable actress in Ocean's Thirteen is Abigail Sponder (Ellen Barkin), and she's foxy.

The story is not that complicated and I can't spoil it by telling. It is basically the eleven taking revenge on Banks with a little help from Benedict. There'll be the usual witty dialogues, the underlying funny relationship among the team members and of course the all-important ploy of how to breach into ego Willy's hotel casino on its opening night. For a film of such fashion, the most interesting part will always be how smart the plan to steal is being done. In Ocean's Thirteen it is not bad and quite exaggerated. For the audience I advise taking the consideration of logic out of the equation and just enjoy all the action on screen as they are. There is no need to be too hard or too smart about it. The main point to this film is to enjoy the humour.

The chill-out, atmospheric and ambient music by composer David Holmes is one of the factors that give this movie series its slick aesthetics. Ocean's Thirteen bettered its last effort of Twelve though not quite as clever, smart and interesting as Eleven. A first tough act was always hard to follow but director Steven Soderbergh gave this one a decent account.

It is easier to enjoy the movie than to dislike it. I like the small part about the hotel reviewer and the jackpot and felt it was a nice touch. If I were to put the film more critically though, I would say that it is not as smooth and the flavour not as strong. Sounds like I'm describing an ice-cream? It is like ice-cream with all the actors and actress in this one. Now who doesn't like ice-cream right?

Any flavour will do as long as it's sweet, cool and topped with some crunch.

Hits the Jackpot!

[simonparker1990 · 10/10 · 9 June 2007]

I was a huge fan of Ocean's Eleven, it was smart, witty, funny and in my opinion the best remake I have ever seen. The great cast and the smart dialogue just made it a pleasure to watch, leading my expectations to reach phenomenal levels before seeing its follow up, Ocean's Twelve. So perhaps that is why Ocean's Twelve seemed such a let down, my expectations were to high. As a result of this originally my expectations for Ocean's Thirteen were horribly low, I contemplated not even seeing it at one point. However after re watching Ocean's Eleven, I decided to give it a chance, perhaps Soderbergh at made an effort this time, perhaps it would reclaim the glory of the original movie. Thankfully it has not only reclaimed my respect for the series, but also produced, in my eyes, the best entry so far. The return to Las Vegas has also seen a return of a great script, a plot that is followable, decent jokes and also just a sense of fun that Ocean's Twelve was sorely lacking. In many ways this makes up for the mistake that was the past movie, this is the sequel we should have had. In actual fact, apart from maybe a couple of details, this movie has next to nothing following on from the second movie. This is a good thing as it allows more people to see the quality first movie and then not have to worry about seeing the horrific second one before seeing the best of the series.

Ocean's Eleven worked particularly well because of its starry cast, and the fact the cast were clearly having an absolute ball making the movie. We had George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts and loads more. Ocean's Twelve saw the inclusion of more stars, including Catherine Zeta-Jones and Vincent Cassel. In Ocean's Thirteen two of the cast members have gone, thankfully the lack of Julia Roberts and Zeta-Jones doesn't leave a mark at all. In fact it seems a bit of a breath of fresh air, and even fresher when the reasoning for them not being in the movie is explained with one line of dialogue. But to make up for their disappearance we get Al Pacino in their stead, and trust me he more than makes up for it. Andy Garcia was a great villain in the original, but he lack the menace that Al Pacino has. He easily steals the beginning of the movie, and he threatens to steal it for the whole movie as well. He isn't overused, and he's certainly never underused. He's the best villain this series has had and it makes the quality of the movie increase. But of course this is still the original elevens' movie, and all of them get their moments to shine. George Clooney is still the best, he's such a great actor to watch as he just oozes star quality. He's the kind of person you wouldn't mind meeting in real life because he seems a genuinely nice guy. He's also used more in this movie, unlike in Twelve where he seemed to co-star in a movie with his name in the title. Brad Pitt is used less than Twelve here, and thankfully that works as well. My biggest problem with Twelve was the fact Rusty took centre stage, and in my opinion Rusty isn't an interesting character. In small doses he's brilliant, but in large doses his character just isn't good enough. Matt Damon has some great comedic moments here and there, Andy Garcia continues his role with style, Eddie Izzard's character actually seems to have a point here, and all the rest of the cast just carries on perfectly. They're all having a blast and they put their all into this movie.

So what of the actual storyline then? Well the actual motives for this movie seems to have improved a lot. Ocean's Twelve's storyline just didn't work for me, I liked the fact that they had to re-pay their money to Bennedict, but I didn't like the fact it got all involved with Vincent Cassel's jewel thief. Here though its all about revenge, and it works better here. It also helps that Al Pacino's Willy Bank is such a jerk that you can't wait to see the gang exact their revenge on him. How they do it, and if they do it I will leave as a surprise, and trust me there are a few little surprises install along the way. Some characters show up that you don't expect to show up, and also the movies pacing is tremendous. It throws you in at the deep end, the planning stage isn't very long, its all about the actual heist pretty much. The opening and the first half is generally talking, which some people might dislike. I personally loved it as the conversations were brilliant, and the quick fire dialogue a welcome relief from the clunky blockbuster stuff I'm used to at the moment.

Overall Ocean's Thirteen is a masterclass in smart, silly blockbusters. Its storyline is preposterous, and how the heist goes is a bit silly, but that's part of the fun, that's what makes the Ocean's series in general such a blast. The movies ooze style (yes even Twelve to some extent). If this is the final movie of the Ocean's series, and I personally believe it is, then they have the left the series on a very high. This has the potential to end up being the best Blockbuster of the summer, a surprise as I really didn't expect much from this. I highly recommend it, its cool, funny slick and most importantly of all, very cool.

Suave but a Bit Flat

[Danusha_Goska · 7/10 · 2 July 2007]

I liked "Oceans 13," but I wanted to love it.

I love the handsome stars, the great clothes, the nifty sets, the music -- David Holmes' score is a really fun, retro trip back to 1965. I love the deadpan delivery of funny lines: "I just bit into a pepper," a man says, when caught tearing up. I love the payoff when scams reach their climax.

But I wanted this movie to thrill me as the previous "Ocean" movies have, and, while it was a slick good time, it wasn't memorable.

There is less character development here than in previous movies. Ocean is not pursuing Tess. Linus has pretty much proved himself.

There wasn't the spectacular stunts as performed by Shaobo Qin in "Ocean's 11" or Vincent Cassel in "Ocean's 12." "Ocean's 13" doesn't fully exploit Las Vegas -- we've seen this movie's Las Vegas before.

Al Pacino is kind of blah as the villain. I wasn't afraid of him; I just kept wondering why he had orange hair. Andy Garcia is more juicy in a smaller, ambivalent role.

The movie resuscitates the film career of Ellen Barkin. She looks spectacular: flat stomach, legs to die for, magnificent cleavage. And then what do they do? Humiliate her and make a bitter comment about how she is a woman "of a certain age." "Oceans 13" would have been a better movie if it had made better use of this hot actress. A sex scene between her and the ever cool Matt Damon would have perked the movie up.

Lucky Number 13

[Galina_movie_fan · 9/10 · 9 June 2007]

Danny Ocean and his Eleven are back in Las Vegas. This time, Danny tries to talk sense into Willie Bank, the owner of a series of highly rated "5 Diamonds" hotels who double-crossed one of Eleven, Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould), on a hotel deal causing the man a heart-attack and coma-like state. After the ruthless and arrogant Bank suggests that Reuben "rolls over and dies", Danny and his team decide to take the Bank's stunning new casino out of business on the big opening night.

The third Ocean's movie is great fun and a wonderful mixture of genres that works as comedy/crime/thriller/revenge. Vegas is spectacular. The jokes are funny, the dialogs are witty, the directing is first class with the split screens, unusual angles, and the camera that always moves fast but does not rush. The acting is terrific. The absence of Julia Roberts and Katherine Zeta Jones is more than compensated by the presence of great Ellen Barkin who is a better actress than two and a hot beautiful woman, the real "cougar". Besides Ocean and his Eleven (who all have fun with their parts but this time Carl Reiner was simply outstanding), it was good to see David Paymer as an unlucky (or was he?) hotel reviewer and Eddie Izzard as a famous computer hacker. Did I mention that Al Pacino took the role of Willie Bank and he was excellent playing in his quiet mode without screaming which I like a lot? There are certainly the holes in the story and the absence of logic but I did not care a bit. "Ocean's Thirteen" is not about logic or plausibility or realism, it is all about fun and entertaining and it entertains admirably. It is a very successful and enjoyable sequel in the series of Ocean's movies and we all know that good sequels don't happen too often.

A Good Movie To Watch And Multi-Task With

[alexkolokotronis · 7/10 · 3 February 2009]

Have you ever watched a film while multi-tasking? Well if you have, you should do it again but this time put on Ocean's Thirteen. I would not describe myself as a fan of the Oceans' movies but I have pretty much enjoyed all of them. In light of that though this is the worst one of the series.

The movie is very well acted in that it appears the whole cast has fun with the material from top to bottom. That does not make it a good film though it just makes it a nice to get together. One thing I could say though was this time around I actually noticed Casey Affleck because of his recent breakout performances in other films. So with that, he and Al Pacino just adds to the fun of watching all the great actors and stars in the film. The script is very witty at times and did have me chuckle more often then not. What was missing though were the star actresses. Tangle in all the fun of a crazy scheme to rob a casino, gambling and just Las Vegas is the women. It would have been great to see Julia Roberts or Catherina Zeta Jones or even both back for the film. Instead we had to settle with Ellen Barkin who has not nearly as an impressive career or persona as her counterparts.

As the rest of the series this film really is not too thought provoking or deep. It won't inspire you to do something so honestly it won't be too necessary to focus all your thoughts on this film. This is an entertaining film considering George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Al Pacino, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac and Casey Affleck are in it but yet it isn't as well made or enjoyable as its predecessors.

Really good

[nikhilvarma89 · 9/10 · 27 May 2007]

They are back and now there are 13...

The movie is any day better than ocean's twelve (which i think was really bad) but still not as good as the original! All of them are back and why not with such an amazing director and support group who wouldn't come back. Al Pacino is fantastic as always and adds that extra bit to the movie.

Story is actually at par with the first one and 20 times better than the second movie! Got to see an early screening and loved it. I don't want to spoil the movie. But one thing is true that the story is again complicated and its for the better only as the more complicated the better. Acting as always amazing.

After disappointments of spider-man 3, shrek 3 and to some extent POC 3, this one s easily better than the above three and thus this is a must watch 9/10

Great design, great technical realization, good actors but weak story

[Highco · 6/10 · 12 June 2007]

Since I am a fan of the first two movies I expected a funny and thrilling film. What carried the viewer through its predecessors (great retro design, music etc.) now isn't enough for a really good movie. The story itself could be summed up too quickly. The preparation for the big thievery starts almost from the beginning of the film and it's justification is really poor. What can be really enjoyed are the colorful visuals and a bunch of stars that seem to enjoy themselves. All this prevents a worse vote. To me it seems that Hollywood is running out on ideas at the moment. Sequels are obviously attractive from a financial point of view but bear the risk that they are produced and conceived not careful enough.

A lot going on, but nothing much happening....

[Screen-Space · 4/10 · 7 June 2007]

Ocean Thirteen's slick credit sequence, highlighting Brad Pitt in all his movie star glory and letting us all know that Soderbergh and his camera are up for some glossy fun, gets the heart racing in anticipation of a slick, sly heist caper on par with #1 and superior to #2.

But then, as detail upon detail is heaped upon the audience and increasingly silly machinations are put in place to ensure the casino-robbery plan works, it all starts to unravel until, burdened by its own only-in-the-movies logic, the film grinds to a halt just when it should be at its most exciting.

At the 80 minute mark, the film, in desperate need of a compelling story to kick-in, is still setting up the details of the heist. No tension has been created, no forward momentum is in place, no characters are established sufficiently to root for. Soderbergh is no doubt hoping the good will audiences have for his characters from the first film is still in place here (sorely tested in Oceans Twelve). And despite taking all this time to create a detailed if rather ludicrous heist plan, it then boils down to relying on coincidence rather than cunning for it all to work.

Clooney and Pitt still have the charisma and chemistry to make some moments enjoyable, but there isn't the zing in their banter that was a highlight of the first film. Other returning cast members - Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Andy Garcia - are all reduced to plot devices rather than given any substance (I know this isn't meant to be a in-depth character piece, but gimme somebody to care about and not just ogle!). Best moments come from Scott Cann and Casey Affleck; most embarrassing from Don Cheadle. And though Al Pacino is suitably villainous as the bad guy, he's also the most interesting and compelling character in the film, making his ultimate downfall (which, lets face it, is no spoiler) a little bittersweet (I would've liked to have seen him slap Danny Ocean up the side of the head, if only to create a little spark in the film).

What is sorely missing is a strong female character. Julia Roberts provided it in #1; Julia and Catherine Zeta-Jones were the best things about #2. In O13, Ellen Barkin is reduced to playing Pacino's 2IC as a blindly-ambitious slut, and its awful. Other female characters are either casino-pit screechers or hookers, underlying the boys-own macho-ness of these films.

It does look great in parts - the set design and CGI work is impeccable - and Soderbergh, holding his own camera under the name 'Peter Andrews', shoots his cast and the locales sumptuously in deep, rich reds and golden tones. But at 122 minutes its a long slog.

With a triumvirate of blah threequels this American summer already clogging multiplexes, Ocean Thirteens only adds weight to the argument that if anything interesting or inspired is going to be done with the characters or plot in a franchise film, its already been done by the time a #3 is churned out.

Third part with the same group and again with suspense,thriller and intelligent twists

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 14 June 2007]

Again the Danny Ocean bunch with the biggest heist of all . Reuben (Elliot Gould) suffers a heart attack for a treason and as revenge Danny Ocean pull off a plan introducing the schemes for a new robbery venture and gathering the eclectic group for a new caper . This time , Benedict (Andy Garcia) agrees with Ocean backed by his motley gang to execute it , the group is the same people (Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Scott Cahan, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck , Carl Reiner, Qin) . Their objective is the ambitious Willie Bank (Al Pacino), owner of a luxurious Las Vegas hotel . He turns out their victim along with the hot woman manager (Ellen Barkin) . The crew back in action , in the inauguration day . They blew all the light , shutting off the electrify and provoke an earthquake on the hotel . The thirteen men team headed by mastermind George Clooney attempting to rob the game-table , jackpots from hotel casino proprietary of mogul Pacino , executing simultaneously . We never met a band like Ocean's thirteen . This rendition gets one of the greatest entertainment of the trilogy .

This thrilling as well as hilarious heist film displays from the beginning to the ending , comedy , suspense , plot twists along with limited action of varied manner . There appears special cameo by Oprah Winfrey , Julian Sands and Jerry Weintraub , he's trilogy's producer . The film contains an intelligent screenplay and ,of course, outstanding final surprise . The comic relief being developed during the amusing relationship between the several and motley characters and their jokes among them . Atmospheric musical score by habitual saga , David Holmes . Colorful cinematography though sometimes some dark about interior scenarios photographed by the same , as usual, Soderbergh . This is a funny and stylish following ,being well directed by Steven Soderbergh .

Ocean's hits a lucky thirteen.

[JohnDeSando · 5 June 2007]

"The robb'd that smiles, steals something from the thief." Shakespeare's Othello

Andy Garcia's wealthy Terry Benedict is financing Danny Ocean's Vegas heist from casino owner Willie Bank (Al Pacino) in order to get the last smile of vengeance, thief to thief, while Danny and Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) exact their own revenge. No honor among these slick reprobates, and good time is had by all the men and, this time, not Julia Roberts, but Clooney's real-life squeeze, Ellen Barkin, as Abigail Sponder, tough right hand to Bank.

I go to most movies as a film critic with my sensibility well-guarded against the fluffy confection of just another heist. But the Ocean's franchise, like the Bond's, has a cachet all its own with eye-pleasing duds, high-tech high jinx, and self-referential dialogue. Thus I am free to enjoy without feeling as if I'd sold out to crass commercialism—I have, but willfully and pleasurably.

I guess I'm sucked in like everyone else at the movies, even with as many as I've seen and written about, because I want to go where the director, in this case the estimable Steven Soderbergh, wants to take me. In Ocean's 12, it was all over Europe; in Thirteen it's the entertainment Mecca of the Western world.

No deep thoughts come to mind, just summer mindlessness dressed up for partying (Pitt and Clooney very nicely decked out, understatedly). Clooney's musings about the changes in Vegas since guys like him had shaken Sinatra's hand serves as "change" leitmotif lighter than air. Twenty years from now we'll be talking about the iconic Pitt and Clooney in the same nostalgic way. Ocean's Thirteen reinforces its place in popular culture as a repository for our transitory adulation of movie stars and the escapes they gave us long ago.

At the end, Matt Damon exits with "See you when I see you," a fitting piece of noncommittal that may promise another Ocean's installment or just more star sightings. Clooney says goodbye to Pitt with an in-joke the world is in on: "Hey! Next time! Keep the weight off. Pitt retorts, "Have a couple of kids." This is typical of the low-key, sweetly narcissistic third installment.

Ocean's hits a lucky thirteen this time around without a big jackpot but a great deal of good will.

Good film, good film.

[freaky28962 · 7/10 · 8 June 2007]

Just got back from from watching this and I'd have to say it's probably the best film I've seen in about six months. It definitely cheered me up after that disappointing Spiderman sequel. Don't get me wrong Ocean's 13 is not quite as good as 11 but it's still a good watch (Big improvement on the second one). The absence of Catherine Zeta Jones and Julia Roberts was a bit of a surprise, but I doubt their presence would have improved the film greatly. The addition of the great Al Pacino was definitely a big positive and as usual he played his role well and brought a lot to the film. The action sequence were well done, there are quite a few funny segments in the film involving some pretty hilarious disguises. The camera work and techniques are excellent. The story was a big improvement on O-12 but I agree with what I read in another review, that it definitely lacked the suspense of the first one. Nothing really happened where the whole plan went to cock and they had to quickly come up with an even more ingenious plan or else all was doomed. It was more like, oh no somethings broken, what do we do? I know, lets buy a replacement, Phew! Apart from that, everyone played their roles fantastically, with the exception of maybe Eddie Izzard who I think was a little off character, which I found disappointing because I really enjoyed his short part in the O-12. In summary I'd say; Room for improvement, still a really good film, definitely worth the price of admission.

Gone...

[jpschapira · 6/10 · 23 June 2007]

When I visited the Warner Studios in Los Angeles last year, my family and me had a tour; the guide was explaining to us that most of the stages, at that time, were being used for the movie "Ocean's 13". I recognized the Bank Casino in the film; I saw it when they were constructing it. My point is that if they were using all these stages for one movie, it involved big money, big production. Was all of this money unnecessarily spent? No, because they're getting it back with interests.

However, "Ocean's 13" is, by all means, an unnecessary film. We keep getting all these sequels (there are more coming, don't count them) and it's hard to see one doing things right. At least this Ocean travesty is not the embarrassment that was "Mission Impossible 3", but it's too much for Soderbergh, Clooney, Pitt, Damon and the guys; they've taken it too far.

I invited a friend to watch the film and he said he didn't want to because he hadn't seen the first two. Well, you don't really need to watch the first two installments to watch this one, if you date to plan to. You see? The only connection between the three pictures is the cast, the director and David Holmes' entertaining and very loud score. The three films were written by different people and involve one or more big heists that develop throughout the piece; you don't need to be a genius to write something funny and the effort is less if persons like a relaxed Clooney, Pitt and Pacino (what a waste) are saying your lines.

The formula worked well in the first two movies. A lot of people didn't like "Ocean's 12" because they said it didn't take itself seriously, and because it used Julia Roberts as herself for a very funny scene. The truth is that "Ocean's 11" didn't take itself seriously either; it was just Soberbergh and his actors having fun. And the fact that they wanted to travel to Europe and that they invented a plot line to pull the second film off there is so joyful; because cinema can be about having fun and that's the formula these guys chose: slick fun.

But when "Ocean's 13" begins, you can sense something's missing; it's the fun. Maybe it's because the script takes itself too seriously, maybe because it tries to be funny at the same time, or because the actors are not feeling their characters any longer. Maybe the whole movie takes itself seriously (which I doubt), but that naturalness and coziness I mentioned is gone; and the film just doesn't flow.

Fortunately, Soderbergh's camera is still a highlight, filling the piece with complex and riveting shots, and the old pros Carl Reiner and Elliott Gould have a blast; but Casey Affleck's Spanish speaking and an entire Mexican plot line is completely out of place. Let's just hope the honorable Soderbergh doesn't get the team back for a fourth round: it's not working anymore.

One more thing: there's a character played by David Paymer...It must be one of the most unfortunate characters in movie history...Watch and tell me if I'm wrong.

Thirteen's a Charm

[thesar-2 · 9/10 · 2 September 2013]

I feel like a broken record, but I need to say it again: Ocean's Thirteen is the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade make-up film (to Temple of Doom.) Now, I am actually an unapologetic supporter of Ocean's Twelve, but I truly and really liked this chapter.

Does it match the original's originality, even though that was a remake? No, but it comes pretty damn close. And…they made it back to Vegas, where they belong.

The gang gathers around a fallen and deceived member and comes up with a brilliant and often hilarious plot to thwart the great Al Pacino.

Literally, that's the plot. Now, I don't mean to downplay it…I had an absolute blast here, but also admired this movie tremendously.

For example, the graphics and locations were amazing. I'm a stickler for "getting Vegas right." Con Air had the strip all over the place, including casinos/hotels that didn't even exist when the movie premiered. The movie 21 had "our heroes" stay in the Green Valley Ranch that had a convenient view of the strip, even though the strip is miles away. In Ocean's Thirteen, there was a fake casino erected, and the location they gave, it made sense. Even the views from the place and hotel rooms was accurate – had this place existed.

The comedy was back, the tension and fun was relevant and the suspense was key. If you loved 2001's Ocean's Eleven and that does happen to be one of my all-time favorite movies, you should truly love this. (Yeah, it helps if you saw Part "Twelve," but not 100% necessary.)

Could've Used Work

[rmwaal · 6/10 · 17 June 2007]

I like heist movies, but this one was not my cup of tea to be dead honest. The acting and style was good, but the plot was just way too complicated for it's own good. The actors spend literally 40% of the movie on screen talking about hacking computers and missions that they plan to accomplish to destroy the casino, but due to the heavy "heist speak" I had no idea what any of the significance was throughout a large portion of the movie. The ending was also not clever and un-eventful. Of course they'll ruin Al Pacino's casino, but the way they do it could've been a whole lot more interesting. This is just a supreme disappointment. A good rental, but nothing special that you'll remember a year from now.

Great fun

[vinaybar · 8/10 · 8 June 2007]

Let's face it.Ocean's 11 was great,ocean's 12 was pathetic.But,finally Sodenbergh goes back to the roots of his original film and makes it a fun caper.No more Le Marc,no more Julia Roberts and all that crap.This is possibly the best heist film since ocean's 11.Ocean's 13 marries the heist part of the original film with the complexity of ocean's 12 but in no way does it appear self-indulgent or laboured.

Clooney is great as always and so are the rest of the gang.Expect to see a lot of Linus in this film.But,I feel that Rusty fans will be disappointed.The poor guy hardly has much to do as compared to the previous 2 films.Al Pacino doesn't disappoint though I felt that his character lacked the ruthlessness of Terry Benedict.

Forget the aberration known as ocean's 12 and go and get your kicks with ocean's 13.

Can we have ocean's 14 Steve?

An Excuse to Hang Out in Vegas

[Quicksand · 6/10 · 10 June 2007]

It's been about 48 hours now since I saw "Ocean's Thirteen." I saw it with a group of people (the only way to see a movie), and the movie took so long to get going, I really got the impression that my friends were hating it. The theater didn't laugh very often, I laughed less, and when the lights came up, my friends told me what a good movie it was. "Definitely better than the second," they said.

I disagreed, but it took me a while to figure out why. "O13" isn't bad, per se, and I didn't really hate it while I was watching it, though it did take a while for it to get going. I think, ultimately, the reason the first movie was so good, was because it was fun, funny, and witty, but still knew the difference between "when to be funny" and "when to not be funny." Andy Garcia's character was dangerous, and treated as such. The situations were potentially dangerous, and you got the sense of real peril for the characters. You knew what was at stake. It was a real movie, and just as good on repeat viewings, due to a really original and fresh approach (as well as some great one-liners).

The second movie wasn't reviewed nearly as well, and having watched it again since, it's really not bad either, except for the huge and sudden changes in tone throughout, as well as the fact that it pulls the last 10 minutes out of its rear end. It was originally written as a different movie, then re-tooled for the "Ocean's" cast, and you can kinda tell; it's darker, tries to be more clever than it actually is, and as a result, is a lot less fun.

Whatever strengths the first two movies may or may not have had, the third is lacking them all, except the actors. Everyone from Clooney on down, including Pacino, Vincent Cassel and Eddie Izzard, all bring their A-game, and are pleasant to watch. But the plot is minimal; whether there was a screenplay or not (and there was, from the writers of "Rounders"), you still get the impression that this is just an excuse for buddies to hang out in Vegas and shoot a movie, a la "Blue in the Face" back in the mid-1990's. No one has to do any heavy lifting, and the only actors who even try are the bickering brothers of Casey Affleck and Scott Caan, and of course Pacino, though he could be phoning it in too, and you'd never know it.

Whether you're a movie fanatic or not, the three films can still be summed up by their opening shots. In the first film, cut to: a chair. Clooney sits down in it. The movie itself is really about him, and what makes his Danny Ocean tick, not just before, but during, and after the action. In the second film, cut to: a magnifying glass. Brad Pitt walks into a room, and the next 100 minutes is a closer look at Rusty's life and his relationship with the woman he wakes up in that first scene. Third film? Cut to: a toy store. Yeah, that sounds about right. Soderbergh ain't so dumb.

Excellent cinematography!!

[yidarmy42 · 10/10 · 17 August 2021]

This is a real masterpiece in filming, script and style. It fits the franchise spot on and is the best film of the 3. All the cast are spot on and the timing between them is impeccable. A great, fun and intriguing watch.

Yawn !

[danzs · 6/10 · 9 June 2007]

Its time now to end the series NOW before it causes any more embarrassment. Even an entire troupe of stars cannot save a movie if it lacks a soul.

Oceans 13 is all about a star studded cast doing their own thing. Not one manages to create a connection with the audience. Even the great Al Pacino has his limitations when the script does not allow any scope for character development.

This time around the pack wants to settle the score with sly and hardboiled Willie Bank (Al Pacino) for duping their colleague Reuben (Elliot Gould). The plan is simple. Willie Bank has to go bankrupt on the opening night of his casino.

To narrate how they go about it, the movie drags through the first half, and then drags some more during the second. There are just too many characters around and many more angles to think your way through.

I give this movie a 6/10 just for giving the audience the likes of Pacino, Clooney, Pitt, Matt, Don Cheadle and Garcia to feast their eyes upon.

Chill out on your bean bag and wait for the DVD release to watch this flick. Cause it just ain't worth your ticket money. Yawn!

Tedious and too much to watch

[bob-rutzel-1 · 2/10 · 23 November 2007]

The Ocean (Clooney) plan is to take down Willy Bank (Pacino) who forces his one-time casino owner-partner (Gould) to give everything up to Bank.

There is simply too much going on in this movie to follow in an enjoyable way. It reminded me of a Mission Impossible TV show or Movie where the details are the most important thing going. Here there are too many details and I got lost trying to fit everything in place so I just didn't pay any attention to them after a while and hoped for some face-time with the all-star cast. Didn't happen. The stars ran into and out of the scenes at breakneck speed, mumbled a few lines and we were on to another scene for more of the same.

I knew what they were trying to do, bankrupt Willy Bank, and I suppose that is all you need to know. But, the mumbling, dashing in and out of scenes caused a loss in continuity for me.. I didn't care if Willy Bank got his. So to me, this was a complete waste of star-power and story. I think the director had a time limit on how long each scene would take to be shot and he beat his schedule all the way through. Director: 1. Audience: 0.

Then when everything was in place and Bank was about to lose all, I didn't care when all the now-rigged games made winners of everyone playing. I didn't get any joy out of that. So what was the point? I felt nothing. When you watch a movie you should feel something. Okay, well I did. I felt this was a tedious and boring movie where a lot of star-power was thoroughly wasted, and the story suffered because of too many details.

Let's hope there is no Ocean's Fourteen.

Violence:No, Sex: No, Nudity: No, Language: No