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After we saw the original Ocean’s Eleven, my husband asked me which I liked better—the original, the remake, or the sequel. All I could say was “Apples and oranges.”
This 1960 Rat Pack movie really has very little in common with the 2001 remake (and even less in common with the 2004 sequel, Ocean’s Twelve). Both are about eleven guys (led by a guy named Danny Ocean) trying to pull off a big casino heist in Vegas, but that’s where it ends. In the original, the Eleven are a bunch of military buddies—not a bunch of professionals—who decide to use their military training to pull off a “fool-proof” robbery of five casinos in Las Vegas just after midnight on New Year’s Day. At the suggestion of idea man Spyros Acebos (Akim Tamiroff), playboy and prankster Ocean (Frank Sinatra) gathers the boys together, and they all hit Vegas to put the plan into action.
The original Ocean’s Eleven is definitely not filmmaking at its finest. The story is often painfully slow—especially in the beginning, when viewers get background information on all of the characters without really knowing what’s going on. The heist itself isn’t exactly carefully thought through, and the “plan” is never really explained—personally, I still don’t get how they were able to have two “inside guys” in each casino, plus Josh (Sammy Davis, Jr.) driving the getaway vehicle, plus Tony (Richard Conte) rigging the electrical work…with only eleven guys. And with all the characters running around, it’s hard to keep track of them all.
On the other hand, Ocean’s Eleven is fun. It shows Vegas in its true glory days—the Rat Pack days—when Sin City was overflowing with class. When men wore their best suits and women wore gowns. It’s a campy movie, but it’s swingin’, baby. Fans of the Rat Pack (especially Dean Martin, who steals the show) will love it just because.
If you’re expecting a slick action flick with cool gadgets and a big Hollywood ending like 2001’s Ocean Eleven, you’ll be disappointed. But Ocean’s Eleven is definitely worth seeing—for the music, the neon, and the Rat Pack cast.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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