Ocean’s Eleven (2001) (Exclusive Series) (HBO Max)

Initial release date: December 7, 2001

Studios: Warner Bros/ Village Roadshow/ Section Eight Productions

Tagline: 3 Casinos. 11 Guys. 150 Million Bucks. Ready To Win Big?

Plot: Dapper Danny Ocean is a man of action. Less than 24 hours into his parole from a NJ penitentiary, the wry, charismatic thief is already rolling out his next plan. Following three rules: Don’t hurt anybody, don’t steal from anyone who doesn’t deserve it, and play the game like you’ve got nothing to lose. Danny orchestrates the most sophisticated, elaborate casino heist in history.

Cast

George Clooney - Danny Ocean

Bernie Mac - Frank Cotton

Brad Pitt - Rusty Ryan

Elliot Gould - Reuben Tishkoff

Casey Affleck - Virgil Malloy

Scott Caan - Turk Malloy

Eddie Jemison - Livingston Dell

Shaobo Qin - Yen

Carl Reiner - Saul Bloom

Matt Damon - Linus Caldwell

Andy Garcia - Terry Benedict

Julia Roberts - Tess Ocean

Don Cheadle - Basher

Writer: Ted Griffin (Tower Heist; Killers; Rumor Has It)

Director: Steven Soderbergh (Netflix’s The Laundromat; Unsane; Logan Lucky)

Rated PG-13 for some language and sexual content (116 minutes)

The 2001 remake of the Rat Pack classic ‘Ocean’s 11’ is a slick and fun film that is truly exciting.

There are many moments throughout the film that will leave you either laughing or amazed from the excitement. The cast of this remake is definitely one of the best casts ever!

All of the heist-related scenes are really entertaining. Everything from the planning right to the actual heist itself is really enjoyable to watch. And, the ending of the film is truly great as well.

Granted, ‘Ocean’s 12’ and ‘13’ are ok/decent, yet they aren’t nearly as great as this film. The ‘Ocean’s 8’ spin-off is somewhat enjoyable. I only saw that once when I reviewed it for the Examiner when it first came out, so might give that one another look.

All of the ‘Ocean’ films - including the 2018 spin-off - are available on HBO Max.

Here are some interesting tidbits for the 2001 remake of ‘Ocean’s 11’:

• The Bellagio let the film crew tap into their security system to get real surveillance footage of the casino.

• The entire cast worked for less than their usual salaries to bring down the budget.

• Soderbergh wanted the actors to hang out on set to make sure they had good chemistry. During downtime, the cast often crowded around Carl Reiner to listen to his stories.

• Damon’s part of Linus Caldwell (the pickpocket) was meant for Mark Wahlberg. He turned it down to star in the remake of ‘Planet of the Apes.’

• With the exception of the title character “Danny Ocean,” none of the principal characters have the same names as their counterparts in the 1969 film.

• It was estimated that 25-30% of the Bellagio casino was used by the production at any given time.

• In January 2000, WB was moving forward with Soderbergh on development of this remake.

• Had a budget of about $85 million. On its opening weekend, it grossed an estimate of $38 million and was the top box office draw for the weekend.

• Grossed $183 million in the US and $267 million overseas, leaving a worldwide gross of $450 million.

https://youtu.be/imm6OR605UI