Ocean’s Eleven Review (2001)
Combining high-stakes thrills, fun characters, and the promise of a huge reward, it’s no wonder that heist films are so popular. Anyone can enjoy the fun banter and intricate plans, culminating in a grand heist. Based on the 1960 movie of the same name Steven Soderbergh created a fantastic remake of the century’s greatest heist. In this Ocean’s Eleven review, we will go over all the important details of this incredible movie. Learn about the star-studded cast of characters, a brief overview of the plot, and some trivia. Use the quick-navi below to find information quickly, and let’s dive in!
Top Facts About Ocean’s Eleven
Below you can find some additional details about the movie, such as its box office and the awards it earned. The movie was nominated for 20 awards and won four of them, along with the hearts of many fans and critics. Ocean’s Eleven has earned its rightful praise as a classic, with fun characters and a timeless, entertaining story.
| Release Date | 7th December 2001 |
| Director | Steven Soderbergh |
| Genre | Crime, Thriller |
| Box Office | $450, 728, 529 worldwide gross |
| IMDB Rating | 7.7/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes (Audience) | 80% Positive |
| Awards | ALMA Award for Outstanding Support Actor NBR Award Winner BMI Film Music Award Bogey Award in Gold |
Ocean’s Eleven Plot Explained – All About the Biggest Casino Heist
As a remake of a 60s movie starring Frank Sinatra, Ocean’s Eleven naturally changes the plot to fit a more modern audience. Recently put on parole, Danny Ocean is a con artist who’s always planning his next move. This time he’s set his sights on the biggest score yet: robbing the MGM, Bellagio, and the Mirage casinos at the same time for $160,000,000. With a group of ten more people, the Ocean’s Eleven is formed. Can they pull off the heist of the century? If words alone aren’t exciting, check out the trailer below:
Soderbergh manages to create a truly exciting movie, with a good balance of serious, dramatic moments and some light-hearted comedic banter between the Ocean’s Eleven cast. Experience the glamorous halls of casinos and peek behind the scenes at the incredibly complex security systems. With all the high-tech gadgets and elaborate plans, it can even feel like following the story of James Bond villains. If you’re looking to experience the fun of casino games for yourself, try out some of the best online casino sites.
Star-Studded Cast of Ocean’s 11
Despite the plot being relatively simple, its cast of interesting characters and their interactions are what makes it truly interesting. Each of the high-profile stars gives an excellent performance, from Clooney’s suave charm to Matt Damon’s youthful energy.
The characters all feel like real people, due to the excellent combination of serious and comedic moments. It becomes easy to cheer for them, despite the fact they are criminals. Below you can find a list with some of the Ocean’s Eleven cast in this movie:
| Cast | Actor |
|---|---|
| Danny Ocean | George Clooney |
| Robert “Rusty” Ryan | Brad Pitt |
| Basher Tarr | Don Cheadle |
| Linus Caldwell | Matt Damon |
| Tess Ocean | Julia Roberts |
| Terry Benedict | Andy Garcia |
The ultimate reason for why the characters work so well and why this movie is so beloved is due to the hard work put in by the cast. For example, Brad Pitt’s character eats on screen due to the fact they had almost no time for lunch breaks. But despite the difficulties, the actors still manage to have fun and enjoy their time filming, leading to some truly memorable performances.
Breaking the Box Office Bank
Ocean’s Eleven can be considered one of the best gambling movies of all time. It manages to surpass the Ocean’s Eleven original movie with a widely positive reception from both critics and the audience.
It holds an overall score of 7.7/10 on IMDB and an 80% positive reception from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. People enjoyed the fun characters and interesting dialogue, as well as the exciting action scenes and the big heist itself.
In terms of the box office, the movie grossed a staggering $38 million on its opening weekend with a budget of $85 million. As a total worldwide gross, it gathered $450,728,529. This allowed Soderbergh to produce two sequels, Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen, creating a fun trilogy with the Ocean’s Eleven cast.
In 2018, a new movie titled Ocean’s 8 with an all-female cast was released. Aside from its sequels, Ocean’s Eleven managed to popularise the heist film genre, leading to many fun movies being created in its image.
Ocean’s Eleven – Casinos and Gambling
Part of what makes this movie so interesting is getting to visit some of the most popular casinos in Las Vegas. The MGM Grand, the Bellagio, and The Mirage are the focus of this story, and we get to see their true splendor. Most of the movie takes place in the Bellagio, where the crew had full access. In the movie, the casinos use the same vault, which is how the characters can pull off the heist. Below we will go into more detail on each Ocean’s Eleven casino and their importance to the movie’s plot.
The other interesting part of the movie is seeing the wonderful variety of games played at the casino. At the start, you have Rusty teaching some movie stars how to play poker. Later on, we also get to see blackjack, craps, and even some baccarat. Fans of online roulette games will even be able to recognize the iconic 00 of an authentic American Roulette.
The Bellagio Casino
The Bellagio is where most of the movie takes place. As the producer was friends with the casino’s owner, they received full access, including villas for the cast, access to security cameras for authentic footage, and even closing off the valet parking. Opened in 1998, this casino also serves as a hotel and is the most popular in Las Vegas. The beautiful fountains and interior are an amazing sight, complimenting the fun games found inside. A truly spectacular destination for all gamblers.
The Mirage Casino
Although in the movie, the Mirage is not featured prominently, it is still one of the most popular casinos in the United States. Opened in 1989, the casino has become famous, not just for its appearance in movies, but the fantastic casino games on offer. There are even an incredible poker room and a volcano show for the extra flair. Embodying the true glamour of Las Vegas, it is easy to see why the Mirage is popular to both tourists and gamblers.
The MGM Grand Casino
The last part of the famous casino trio is MGM Grand, and it plays an incredibly crucial role. As all the casinos share a vault, that vault is required to have enough money to cover all the patrons’ bets. The plan is to wait for a highly anticipated boxing match when the casino has millions of dollars in its vault. MGM Grand is a huge establishment, offering not just casino games but also serving as a hotel with clubs, pools, and more.
Ocean’s Legacy of Movies
As mentioned above, the legacy of Ocean’s Eleven is no small matter. It grossed so much money and was so popular that it spawned two sequels, creating the Ocean’s Trilogy of movies. While not as successful as the first film, they are still enjoyable movies. The more recent Ocean’s 8, featuring an all-female cast, is another interesting sequel and a nice tribute to the first film.
What started as a simple remake of an old 1960s film managed to surpass the Ocean’s Eleven original completely. It managed to revitalize the crime film genre by showing that criminals can be more than just random thugs and can even be somewhat likeable. Although Soderbergh is known for his more serious and dramatic work, he manages to incorporate a fantastic light-hearted charm. With complex motives and a charming smile, Ocean’s Eleven is a great tale about the world’s most daring gamblers and their biggest score.
Ocean’s FAQ Section
Before we truly end the Ocean’s Eleven review, we have prepared a small FAQ section. This will give you more details on the movie and even some information on where to watch and enjoy it. We hope you will find this review helpful and enjoy the fun movie for yourselves.
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