Ocean’s 12 **** (2004, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Vincent Cassel, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac) – Classic Movie Review 697

George Clooney and Brad Pitt are the quintessence of cool here as crooks Danny Ocean and Rusty Ryan in director Steven Soderbergh’s entertainingly slick and infectiously larky 2004 sequel to the 2001 hit Ocean’s Eleven.

Casino owner Andy Garcia wants his stolen money back, but the magnificent 11 don’t have it so they fly to Europe for three new heists.

Catherine Zeta-Jones makes 12 as the cop on the case and Vincent Cassel is the usual French baddie challenging the 11 to nab a fabulous gem.

Happily, no one takes the plot seriously. How could they when Julia Roberts’s Tess Ocean pretends to be film star Julia Roberts and meets the real Bruce Willis? Witty stuff, guys! Clooney, Pitt and co all easily get by on their high charm factor, and George Nolfi’s script gets by on cheek.

But the film’s best turn is from Matt Damon, getting all his laughs, even more fun than he was in part one good fun as Linus Caldwell, the young buck into disguises.

Nolfi’s screenplay was originally written as Honor Among Thieves for director John Woo vehicle, but was asked to rewrite it as Ocean’s 12, adjusting it to fit the series characters.

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Sequel: Ocean’s 13 (2007).

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