Ocean's Eleven

Good mood from the first charming look of Clooney to the final tone of the sensual soundtrack. Soderbergh was breaking through to me through several unsuccessful attempts, but I am now even happier that I finally got to a great experience. This firmly organized yet slightly confused squad is impossible not to love. (25/07/2008)

A pleasant spectacle that certainly does not aspire to a revolutionary shift in the genre of "thief" films, but fills all the typical clichés and the traditional narrative framework with ease and a certain elegance, which greatly helps the ironic subtext of the whole film. If there's one thing that bothered me, it was the lengthy introduction in which the traditional "recruiting" humor doesn't work very well (how much funnier The Ladykillers is in this regard!) and the vast difference between the distinctive performances of the stars and the bland characters of the lesser-known members of the eleven. Soderbergh managed to film 116 minutes of brisk, pleasant and relaxing entertainment, which, while not breathtaking, is guaranteed not to spoil the evening. (03/01/2005)

A big portion of entertainment for big money; that simple equation, which rarely works out for filmmakers, has worked brilliantly here. The all-star cast has a chance to properly show off, the script doesn't let up with its barrage of plot information and pleasant humour, and Steven Soderbergh coaxes this artificially stylized bunch with his traditionally effective directorial touch, though ironically his filmmaker's qualities in a such mindless a flick are a waste... But let’s be happy for that ;) 80% (16/06/2012)

I don't think I'd rob Las Vegas based on this movie (and that's an important variable I expect from heist movies), but making movies like this for the enjoyment of the filmmakers and the audience is nothing I'm opposed to. But notice how, with such a clever band of eleven main characters, Soderbergh allows each to play a single acting part and so together they actually add up to one character in terms of acting. Simple and funny. (15/02/2011)

Today, a quite classic film, which is primarily a remake of a movie from 1960. Steven Soderbergh managed to make a fresh, clever film for which he also gained a lot of talented actors. Although it seems like just a film about robbing a casino, the preparation, execution, and outcome are truly important in this case. (11/03/2014)