Ocean's Thirteen

''Ocean's Thirteen'' is a 2007 heist comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien. It is the third in the ''Ocean's'' film trilogy and a sequel to ''Ocean's Twelve'' (2004). The film features an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy García, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Ellen Barkin, Al Pacino, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison, Qin Shaobo, Carl Reiner, and Elliott Gould. Its plot centers on Danny Ocean and his team as they seek revenge against ruthless casino owner Willy Bank after he double-crosses one of their own.

The film was screened out of competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival on May 24 and was released theatrically in the United States on June 8, 2007, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its return to form after ''Ocean's Twelve'', highlighting the performances and tighter plot. The film was a commercial success, grossing $311.7 million worldwide against an estimated production budget of $85 million.

Plot

Reuben Tishkoff partners with casino mogul Willy Bank to build a new hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Despite warnings from his longtime friend Danny Ocean, Reuben is coerced into signing away his ownership stake and suffers a heart attack shortly after. When Bank refuses to make amends, Ocean reunites his crew to sabotage the grand opening of Bank's new property, aptly named "The Bank," as an act of revenge.

The team devises a two-pronged strategy. First, they aim to prevent the hotel from earning the prestigious Five Diamond Award, which Bank's previous establishments have consistently received. Saul Bloom impersonates the anonymous reviewer, while the real evaluator is subjected to poor treatment. Second, they plan to rig the casino's gaming systems to produce significant payouts, forcing Bank to fail his financial targets. If the casino fails to generate $500 million in its first quarter, Bank risks losing ownership to his board.

To circumvent the Greco, an advanced biometric security system designed to detect fraud, the team gifts Bank a custom cell phone embedded with a magnetron to disable the system. Additionally, they acquire a tunnel-boring machine once used to construct the Channel Tunnel, intending to simulate an earthquake and prompt an evacuation that allows players to leave with their winnings.

When the drill malfunctions, the team turns to their former adversary Terry Benedict for funding. Motivated by his disdain for Bank, Benedict agrees—on the condition that they also steal Bank's diamond collection, awarded for his Five Diamond wins. Linus Caldwell is assigned to seduce Bank's assistant, Abigail Sponder, to access the vault where the jewels are stored. Unbeknownst to Ocean's crew, Benedict hires master thief François "The Night Fox" Toulour to intercept the diamonds.

On opening night, the plan is set in motion. FBI agents on Ocean's payroll "arrest" Livingston Dell to replace the shuffling machines with rigged ones. Linus, posing as a diamond courier, is also arrested by an FBI agent—revealed to be his father, Robert Caldwell—who extracts him and the decoy jewels. Toulour intercepts the switch but discovers too late that the diamonds were never in Linus's possession. Linus and his father escape via helicopter, piloted by Basher, who extracts the diamond case from the rooftop.

The earthquake simulation forces a casino evacuation, with players exiting the premises carrying millions in rigged winnings. Ocean confronts Bank and reveals the scheme was done in retaliation for Reuben's betrayal. He warns Bank against retaliation, citing the influence and loyalty of his industry peers. Legal recourse is also off the table due to Bank's own illicit operations.

With their shares, the crew purchases land for Reuben to develop a new casino. Ocean donates Benedict's $72 million cut to charity in his name, forcing Benedict into public acknowledgment on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show''. At the airport, as the crew prepares to part ways, Rusty gives his last coin to the real Five Diamond reviewer. Unaware the slot machine is rigged, the reviewer wins $11 million, celebrating as Rusty walks away, smiling.

Cast

The Thirteen

* George Clooney as Danny Ocean, an ex-con who brings together his crew to avenge one of their friends
* Brad Pitt as Rusty Ryan
* Matt Damon as Linus Caldwell
* Don Cheadle as Basher Tarr
* Bernie Mac as Frank Catton
* Casey Affleck as Virgil Malloy
* Scott Caan as Turk Malloy
* Carl Reiner as Saul Bloom
* Eddie Jemison as Livingston Dell
* Qin Shaobo as "The Amazing" Yen
* Elliott Gould as Reuben Tishkoff, Danny's friend who has plans to make a new casino until he gets swindled by Willy.

* Eddie Izzard as Roman Nagel, a friend of the Eleven brought in to help
* Andy García as Terry Benedict, helps fund the crew's next job, but wants something in return

Others

* Al Pacino as Willy Bank, a casino mogul who swindles Reuben of his money to further his hotel called The Bank.
* Ellen Barkin as Abigail Sponder, Willy's personal assistant.
* Vincent Cassel as François Toulour / The Night Fox
* Bob Einstein as FBI Agent Caldwell, an FBI agent who Abigail knows and contacts after suspicious activity at The Bank
* Olga Sosnovska as Debbie, the concierge at The Bank.
* David Paymer as the " V.U.P.", a Five Diamond Award critic
* Jerry Weintraub as Denny Shields, an old friend of the thirteen
* Luis Chávez as Nestor and Nestor's twin brother
* Angel Oquendo as Guard Ortega
* Julian Sands as Greco Montgomery
* Adam Lazarre-White as Bank's Junior Executive

Production

Development

In January 2006, reports emerged that producers were in discussions to set and film most of ''Ocean's Thirteen'' at the Wynn Las Vegas. George Clooney had previously expressed interest in shooting the film at his planned Las Ramblas Resort in Las Vegas, but the project was not expected to be completed in time for production. By March 2006, it was announced that a large portion of the film would instead be shot on a fabricated casino set constructed across five sound stages at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Principal photography was scheduled to begin in Las Vegas and Los Angeles in July 2006.

Casting

Al Pacino joined the ensemble cast in April 2006, portraying the film's primary antagonist, Willy Bank. Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who played Tess Ocean and Isabel Lahiri in the previous installments, did not return for the sequel. According to reports, both actresses declined to participate due to the limited nature of their roles in the new script, which the filmmakers opted not to expand. Their absence is briefly addressed in the film, with Danny Ocean noting that the heist "is not their fight." Topher Grace, who made cameo appearances in the first two films as a satirical version of himself, was also unable to return due to reshoots for ''Spider-Man 3'' (2007). Grace later revealed that his intended scene would have involved a cryptic conversation with Rusty while holding an Asian baby, with no explanation given for the child's presence.

Filming

Location scouting began in mid-July 2006, with the Bellagio—previously featured in ''Ocean's Eleven'' (2001)—confirmed as one of the film's settings. Filming commenced on August 7, 2006, in Las Vegas, with scenes shot at McCarran International Airport and a nearby heliport. The following day, production moved to the under-construction Palazzo resort. Las Vegas filming wrapped on August 9 after key scenes involving George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Andy García were completed at an office behind the Bellagio. A return shoot was planned for September 2006, including additional scenes at the Bellagio.

Producer Jerry Weintraub and Clooney considered hosting the film's world premiere in Las Vegas to reflect the setting's central role in the trilogy.

Music

Reception

Box office

''Ocean's Thirteen'' opened in the United States and Canada on June 8, 2007, debuting at number one at the box office. Despite opening in 250 more theaters than its predecessor, ''Ocean's Twelve'' (2004), the film earned $36 million during its opening weekend, slightly below the $39 million debut of the previous installment. It went on to gross $117.1 million domestically and $194.6 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $311.7 million. While its performance fell short of the $450.7 million global gross of ''Ocean's Eleven'' (2001), the film was still considered a commercial success and outperformed ''Ocean's Twelve'' internationally.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, ''Ocean's Thirteen'' holds an approval rating of 70% based on 201 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "''Ocean's Thirteen'' reverts to the formula of the first installment, and the result is another slick and entertaining heist film." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 37 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore awarded the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

David Edelstein of '' New York'' praised Steven Soderbergh's style, writing, "As the plotting gets knottier, oderberghs technique gets more fluid—the editing jazzier, the colors more luscious, the whip-pans more whizbang. It's all anchored by George Clooney, looking impudent, roguish, almost laughably handsome." Manohla Dargis of ''The New York Times'' commented that Soderbergh "has learned to go against the grain while also going with the flow," adding that he "proves that in spades by using color like Kandinsky and hanging a funny mustache on Mr. Clooney's luscious mug."

In a more mixed assessment, Roger Ebert of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four, writing, "''Ocean's Thirteen'' proceeds with insouciant dialogue, studied casualness, and a lotta stuff happening, none of which I cared much about because the movie doesn't pause to develop the characters." Peter Bradshaw of ''The Guardian'' was more critical, noting, "There is no human motivation and no romance... the scenes could be reshuffled and shown in any order and it would amount to the same thing."

Accolades

Home media

''Ocean's Thirteen'' was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 1 on November 13, 2007. A 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray edition, including a limited SteelBook release, was subsequently made available on April 30, 2024.

Future

Potential sequel

Following the release of ''Ocean's Thirteen'', discussions regarding a potential sequel continued for several years. However, the project was put on hold after the death of cast member Bernie Mac in 2008. In June 2021, Don Cheadle stated in an interview that director Steven Soderbergh had been developing a concept for a new installment in the ''Ocean's'' franchise. The following month, Matt Damon expressed interest in reprising his role, noting that any future sequel would ultimately depend on Soderbergh's involvement and vision for the project.

Spin-off

'' Ocean's 8'', a spin-off of the ''Ocean's'' trilogy, was directed by Gary Ross and released theatrically on June 8, 2018. The film stars Sandra Bullock as Debbie Ocean, the sister of Danny Ocean, who assembles an all-female crew to execute a high-stakes heist during the annual Met Gala in New York City. The ensemble cast includes Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, and Nora "Awkwafina" Lum.

See also

* List of films set in Las Vegas

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ocean's Thirteen
2007 films
2007 crime thriller films
2007 crime comedy films
2000s American films
2000s English-language films
2000s heist films
American sequel films
American crime comedy films
American films about gambling
American heist films
American films about revenge
Films based on works by George Clayton Johnson
Films directed by Steven Soderbergh
Films produced by Jerry Weintraub
Films scored by David Holmes (musician)
Films set in casinos
Films set in the Las Vegas Valley
Thirteen
Section Eight Productions films
Village Roadshow Pictures films
Warner Bros. films
English-language crime comedy films
English-language crime thriller films