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Steven Soderbergh, a talented filmmaker known for alternating small, arty films with more commercial projects, finally hit the box-office jackpot in 2001 with the star-studded remake of the Rat Pack favorite Ocean’s 11, so a sequel was inevitable. Soderbergh successfully reunites the entire Ocean’s Eleven cast and adds several other stars who sweeten the celebrity pot. Like its predecessor, Ocean’s Twelve is a lighthearted caper flick that relies to a great extent on the interaction of its cast members, and the movie’s more about that chemistry than the caper itself. Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the casino owner whom Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his ten partners ripped off in the first film, has tracked the gang down, and he gives them two weeks to repay -- with interest -- the money they stole from him. In desperation, the thieves head for Europe to stage heists that will net them the required amount. What they haven’t counted on is competition from a master thief known only as the Night Fox (Vincent Cassel) and the tenacity of Interpol investigator Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who is determined to apprehend them. Ocean’s Twelve unfolds in Amsterdam, Rome, and Paris, affording picturesque backdrops for the ingenious thefts planned by Danny and his crew. As Danny’s wife, Tess, Julia Roberts -- whose part in the first film was largely decorative -- takes a larger role this time around, thanks to a clever gambit that draws her into the largest of the planned heists. Bruce Willis plays himself in an extended cameo, and Soderbergh favorite Albert Finney pops up as well. The ridiculously convoluted story holds together, if only by a thread. But that hardly matters, because it’s evident from the first reel that the cast is having a great time. In fact, Ocean’s Twelve is one of the most self-aware movies we’ve seen in many moons, and the in-jokes speed by like Vespa scooters. It basically dares the viewer to have as much fun as the onscreen participants -- a challenge that's easy to accept. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

After pulling off the heist of their lives, Danny Ocean and his pals unexpectedly find themselves back in harness in this sequel to 2001's blockbuster hit Ocean's Eleven. After robbing a cool $160 million from the Bellaggio Hotel Casino and winning back his former wife, Tess (Julia Roberts), from Bellagio owner Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), Danny Ocean (George Clooney) is living quietly on the lam in Connecticut when he's unexpectedly approached by Benedict. It seems Benedict has tracked down Danny and the ten men who helped him pull off the seemingly impossible robbery, and Benedict offers them a proposal -- if they can repay the $160 million in two weeks, he won't have them killed. As it turns out, both Danny and his best friend, Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), haven't been doing so well in terms of money management and could use some cash, so they set out to plan a robbery to recover the loot, with the same crew helping out -- Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon), Frank Catton (Bernie Mac), Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle), Saul Bloom (Carl Reiner), Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould), Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison), Yen (Shaobo Qin), Virgil Malloy (Casey Affleck), and his brother Turk (Scott Caan). Danny and Rusty discover that an incredibly rare Fabergé egg is being displayed at a museum in Rome which would fetch the price they need, but they soon discover a notorious cat burglar, François Toulour (Vincent Cassel), is also after the egg, and it turns into a race to see who can claim it first. Adding to the intrigue is Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a woman Rusty used to be involved with who is now a top agent with Interpol and is after both Toulour and Ocean's crew. Shot on location in both the United States and Europe, Ocean's Twelve was, like its precursor, directed by the stylish Steven Soderbergh, who also photographed the picture under his nom de lens, Peter Andrews. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 085391161059
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Language: Français
• Time: 2:05:00
• Sales Rank: 24,428

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen
• Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen
• Ocean's Eleven & Ocean's Twelve
• Ocean's Eleven/Ocean's Twelve
• Ocean's Collection: 4 Film Favorites

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