Ocean's 13

Neither Ocean's 11 nor Ocean's 12 can be considered real heist movies(like Rififi or even Heist). They were simply excuses to get some big stars together and let them be cool and have fun while trading quips. The actual heists were almost afterthoughts. Ocean's 13 continues this tradition. While the lack of freshness in seeing the stars together prevents it from being as much fun as Ocean's 11, it is definitely a big step up from Ocean's 12.

This time around, the gang's goal is revenge. When ruthless Willy Bank(Al Pacino) dupes Reuben out of the partnership in his new Las Vegas casino, Reuben has a heart attack. So Ocean(George Clooney), Rusty(Brad Pitt), Linus(Matt Damon) and the rest of the group plan to make Bank lose a lot of money the night he opens his casino. Financial constraints force them to turn to Terry(Andy Garcia) for help and he agrees, but for a big fee.

One of the most frustrating aspects of Ocean's 12(and to a much lesser extent, Ocean's 11 too) was that the planning the team did for the major part of the movie was essentially just to set up a red herring. The elaborate plan that was put in motion eventually turned out to be a distraction while the main theft involved something as simple - and as disappointing - as switching backpacks in a train. But there are no such misdirections in Ocean's 13. All the planning is really in service of the big heist and that results in a sense of satisfaction as we see the plan go into action.

The things the gang puts in place for the eventual heist to work are preposterous and implausible, many of the things(like finding insiders in Pacino's casino) happen too conveniently and there is no suspense during any part of the actual heist. But the movie is light-hearted and fun. The stars, especially the big 3, have a lot of screen presence and charisma and carry the movie along effortlessly, usually with just their smiles and expressions. Many of the one-liners and situations are funny and keep us smiling. The heist being good is just icing on the cake.

But after the over-the-top setup, the actual heist itself isn't anticlimactic and is a delight. Since the target is a bad guy who we've come to hate rather than some faceless millionaire, the payoff is immensely satisfying. There is also the usual elation as we see the pieces of the plan fall into place. Like in other movies in this genre, we've been given only peeks at the plan during the preparation stage and it is fun watching things come together as the plan is put into motion.

The movie has too many stars for any one of them to make an impression and they all coast along on their familiarity and reputations. Clooney and Pitt as usual get the most screen time and their short, snappy conversations are quite funny. Damon gets the most laughs with his usual routine of "I want to be taken more seriously". Pacino is his usual self but Ellen Barkin seems a little too old for her role.