Marvel has managed to appropriate the concept of bringing together characters and stars in the same project, which many now associate with movies like ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ or ‘Avengers: Endgame’. In a way it is logical, because it is not so easy to gather so many remarkable people in one poster, and even 2 or 3 of such caliber, and also make it work. But, like almost so many things in Marvel, this was not invented by them.
Superior to the classic “11″ gang
Choral movies with amazing casts are often made up of character actors, and that’s why they work so well. Now, what if a movie tried to collect as many movie stars as possible? What if in addition to that get cool everything that a thing can cool, with each of its actors superbly employed and splendidly told? That you have something like ‘Ocean’s Eleven: Make a game’.
This masterful film by Steven Soderbergh (available on HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video) not only brought together George Clooney and Julia Roberts before their recently released ‘Journey to Paradise’, but also featured the talents of Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Casey Affleck, Elliott Gould and many more. Apart from Garcia, everyone puts themselves under the orders of Clooney’s character, the charismatic Danny Ocean, to assemble biggest casino robbery in history.
And of course the hit is ambitious, but the film is even more so to balance all the pieces it has and make the film an agile, funny, powerful and dazzling film. And Soderbergh succeeds, shooting with great elegance and ingenuity, making a perfect commercial film and a pinnacle of heist cinema superior to the classic ‘The gang of eleven‘ which updates.
Even though the details of the hit may be somewhat confusing, the movie never stops flowing and you marvel if you get carried away with it. A movie.