Ocean's Thirteen: Grade D

D
Ocean’s Thirteen (2007)
George Cloony, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Elliot Gould, Bernie Mac, Al Pacino, Don Cheadle, Casey Affleck, Carl Reiner, Ellen Barkin, Andy Garcia, Larry Paine. Director Steven Soderbergh.

In this sequel, the gang is out to destroy Pacino’s Las Vegas casino/hotel because he tried to kill their buddy Elliot Gould. The plan is as silly as the script. They will rig the slots, tables, and wheel to break the bank of the casino, but the goal is revenge, so they will also assure that the hotel gets a bad review and that Pacino’s diamond collection is stolen. That should really annoy him. Seems that it would have been easier just to kill Pacino, but then there would be no excuse for this elaborate Mission Impossible scenario. To insert the rigging, the boys need to circumvent the security computer. Cutting the power is out of the question because that was done in Ocean’s Twelve, so instead, they get a giant boring machine that tunnels through rock and shakes the hotel’s foundations to simulate an earthquake. Great plan. Sensible! The acting is negligible despite all the star power. Pacino and Barkin were especially disappointing because we know they are capable of much more. Extremely high production values, good photography, and good music keep you watching, but with no story and no acting, that’s not enough to make the movie succeed.