Ocean's Thirteen

Just to re-cap, 2001's "Ocean's Eleven," a blast. The sort of movie that's fun whether you're a casual moviegoer or a serious film buff. "Ocean's Twelve," while not nearly as awful as it's often made out to be (at least in my opinion), it's pretty forgettable, annoyingly self-satisfied, and so in-jokey that the audience is left out and scratching its head on a regular basis. George Clooney realized this and I'm guessing director Steven Soderbergh did too. And for those of you let down by "Twelve" (which is pretty much anyone who saw it), "Ocean's Thirteen" more than makes up for it.
Right from the start, "Thirteen" is fun and light on its feet, the qualities that made the first film so enjoyable. It opens showing the gang getting together to avenge their fallen comrade Reuben (Elliott Gould). Reuben's in pretty bad shape and lying in a hospital bed after having a heart attack. The cause: casino mogul Willie Bank (a refreshingly subdued Al Pacino), Reuben's back-stabbing business partner who leaves Reuben in ruins and for dead on the roof of his hotel. The other ten want to take Willie down. And Danny Ocean (Clooney), Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), and Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) have just the plan to do it.
The guys set out to destroy Bank's reputation and the opening night of his new casino. As Rusty says, it doesn't matter if they win as long as the casino loses. Pulling this off proves far more difficult than they imagined which leads them to the last place they ever thought they'd go. They need financing from their first victim, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). Terry will help them, on one condition. They must steal Bank's prize possession: his diamonds. Danny, Rusty, and Linus tell Terry that they've tried that plan but that it's impossible. Now however, it's their only way in and thus, their only way to avenge Reuben.
The real fun of this film though is not really the plan or even the execution of the plan. Just like "Eleven" the fun of "Thirteen" is watching these guys be cooler than you or I could ever hope to be. And they're not just cool when they're being cool. They're cool getting emotional over an episode of "Oprah." I mean these guys are just...cool. The dialogue is so snappy and delivered so well it's hard to tell how much was written by screenwriters Brian Koppelman and David Levien and how much of it was improvised on the set. Written dialogue that sounds spontaneous is the best kind of dialogue and a credit to both the screenplay and the actors. Everyone's great in this and gets some great moments to shine. Casey Affleck and Scott Caan get plenty to do, and Affleck's mustache is practically a character itself.
Soderbergh keeps things moving and bouncy all the while. In my mind this not only tops the first "Ocean's," it's a return to form for the lauded director. It's a reminder that this is the guy who made movies like "Out of Sight" and "The Limey." And the in-jokes work far better than they did in "Twelve." I don't want to spoil them for you, but my favorite involves Matt Damon riffing on a certain other character he has made famous.
"Ocean's Thirteen" is what a summer movie should be. A fun and entertaining film that you'll want to quote from now until Labor Day. A good time will be had by all. 9/10