Review of Ocean`s Eleven (Widescreen)

Introduction

The original Ocean`s 11 was made in 1960 and featured an all-star cast including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. Forty one years later, acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh assembled a modern-day all-star cast, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts and remade the movie, which, unsurprisingly, was quite successful at the cinema.

The film features Clooney as Daniel Ocean, who, after being released from Prison, assembles a crew to rob a string of Las Vegas casinos, owned by Terry Benedict (Garcia), who just happens to be with Ocean`s ex (Roberts).

Video

The video is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, and is every bit as good as a major Hollywood movie made last year should be - free of grain, no dirt, a stable and vivid image, and plenty of detail.

Visually, the film is very slick from start to finish, taking full advantage of the excellent cast and Las Vega location, including plenty of footage inside the casino, and the excellent heist sequence.

Audio

The soundtrack comes in Dolby Digital 5.1, and to be honest, for such a big movie, is a little disappointing, with the sound noticeably concentrated on the front three channels, using the rears only sparingly.

At times, the soundtrack almost feels mono, there is so little going on across the soundstage, which, given the scope for a great soundtrack, was a bit of a let down.

The dialogue is always clear and understandable.

Features

The extras consist of a making of a making-of, a "Look of the Con" featurette, two commentaries and the trailer.

The making-of runs for fifteen minutes and is pretty run-of-the-mill, containing interviews and film clips.

The "Look of the Con" featurette runs for about ten minutes and is a bit more interesting than the making-of, but doesn`t contain anything earth shattering.

The first commentary is from Damon, Garcia and Pitt, the second is from Soderbergh and the screenwriter, neither of which are particularly interesting, and both feel rather disjointed at times.

The disc is packaged in one of Warner`s trademark vile snapper cases, which contains details of the generous 35 chapter breaks.

Conclusion

Ocean`s 11 is a very entertaining crime thriller, with a superb cast and great visuals which delivers everything that it promises.

The film is an enjoyable crime caper, and Soderbergh always ensures that there`s enough going on to gloss over any shortcomings in the plot. The cast are great, with all the big names delivering the performances that their reputations demand.

The video is good, but the soundtrack disappointing, and there are a reasonable spread of extras.

Overall, Ocean`s 11 is well worth watching.