Ocean's Twelve (2004)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Faker's Dozen

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Steven Soderbergh reunites the crew from his hit Ocean'sEleven, adding CatherineZeta-Jones as a Europol agent with romantic connections to Rusty Ryan (BradPitt). The plot has angry Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) tracking down the crewthat stole $160 million from the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas and demandingretribution. If they don't pay, their lives are over. So the crew flees toAmsterdam to look into an even bigger job to pay off the first one. This leadsto competition with an expert thief, Francois Toulour (Vincent Cassell), to seewho can steal a priceless jeweled egg first. The new film is just as cool andsmart as the original, getting by more on personality and charisma than onlogic or plot. (Don't bother counting the holes.) Unlike the slick,expensive-looking first film, Soderbergh crafts this sequel more like hissuperb English thriller The Limey(1999), painting in a gritty hue with arty, jumpy editing, while the exciting,throbbing score draws heavily from Quentin Tarantino's clever song selectionsin Kill Bill. Virtually all ofthe cast members have worked with Soderbergh before, which helps keep thingsintimate and enhances the fun. Yet Ocean's Twelve keeps its characters at a distance; they entertainus -- and each other -- with their witty talk, but that's as far as it goes.It's like being invited to spy on a great party without ever going inside.George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Zeta-Jones and Julia Roberts command thecenter of attention, while supporters Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Elliot Gould andvarious and assorted "surprise" guests round out the proceedings.George Nolfi (Timeline) scripted.

DVD Details: Perhaps wisely not drawing too much attention to itself, Warner Home Video's DVD comes with only a trailer.