Ocean's Thirteen

The third installment in this heist franchise is almost a return to form after the meandering, supremely lame Ocean’s Twelve. George Clooney, Brad Pitt and the rest of the gang (except for Julia Roberts) are back in Las Vegas, where a slimy casino entrepreneur (Al Pacino) has screwed over their buddy Reuben (Elliott Gould). The crew gets back together to make the Pacino character lose his shirt, resulting in a plot that’s almost always interesting. Matt Damon gets to provide most of the comic relief, and he does a good job of it, especially while wooing Pacino’s devout assistant (Ellen Barkin). Pitt’s character doesn’t seem as involved this time out, but Clooney shines as usual. This is rumored to be the last installment in the series, but after its big box-office weekend, Ocean’s Fourteen seems like a possibility. So, to sum up: This film is not as good as the first, but way better than the second.