Ocean's Twelve is a sequel to a remake. That notion alone should make most film snobs shudder and complain of a lack of originality in modern cinema, or something.

But then a look at its pedigree gives it an immediate superiority. Like Ocean's Eleven, it's directed by original king of the Indie scene Steven Soderbergh who's brought us Sex, Lies and Videotape, Traffic and Out of Sight. It's cast is also overwhelming with numerous A-listers competing against smaller respected character actors. So, can a sequel to a remake be any good?




Danny Ocean (George Clooney) is slumming it in surburbia with his wife Tess (Julia Roberts). But an impromptu visit from Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the man who he stole from in the original, causes trouble. He wants his money back, with interest. After revisiting all the eleven members, they reunite to pay back the debt they owe. This time they're off to Europe but with Isabel (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a sexy Europol agent in pursuit, who has a personal grudge against Rusty (Brad Pitt). Can they pull it off?

The original film was hugely enjoyable and the ending showed that a sequel wasn't too implausible. And after the horror that was last month's sequel, Meet The Fockers, it's a relief to report that this one ain't too bad. It's not a patch on the original, but it's still solid entertainment nonetheless.

The film is visually excellent, as expected, but with the plot feeling a little too convoluted this time round, it does sometimes feel like a case of style over substance. And with all the pretty people making it easier on the eye, you do sometimes get the feeling that this plot wouldn't work so well with Bernard Manning, Kathy Burke and Mike Reid taking on the lead roles. The move to Europe seems more of an excuse for the actors to take a nice holiday abroad, than to help with the plot, which thinks it's a lot cleverer than it actually is.

Catherine Zeta-Jones makes an attractive yet predictably dull addition to the team. Her acting skills still proving difficult to ascertain, as does her accent which veers between Beverley Hills and the Valley. Julia Roberts has a more integral role this time and her help to the team is funny yet surreal. I won't spoil it but it involves Bruce Willis playing himself and Julia Roberts playing someone else, bringing up numerous questions of reality and self-referentiality. Anyway it's one of the funnier moments in the film.

While the plot tries to continually outfox itself, the film sometimes seems a little too smug, especially with the final scene. It seems to exist purely to rub in your face how much fun the entire cast had. The film may not have the same excitement or sheer coolness of the original but it's still slick, classy and visually impressive enough to make it  passable entertainment.

Oceans Twelve Website

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