Ocean’s 8

The cast list for this spinoff is amazing, and in many ways is probably more impressive than the cast list for the original trilogy.  Unfortunately, the plot lacks the same sparkle, and director Gary Ross doesn’t bring the same visual flair that Steven Soderbergh did, so the end result is a perfectly enjoyable heist movie, rather than an all-time classic.

Premise:  Just released from prison, Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) teams up with former partner-in-crime Lou (Cate Blanchett) to put together a crew to steal a priceless diamond necklace from a movie star attending the exclusive Met Gala in New York.

Review:

I’m a big fan of heist movies, but the truth is, there are probably only a handful of truly great heist movies (I’m thinking Ocean’s Eleven and The Sting as two examples off the top of my head).  Even the immediate sequels to Ocean’s Eleven couldn’t recapture the magic of the first film (although Ocean’s Thirteen was at least a vast improvement on Ocean’s Twelve), so it’s perhaps unsurprising that this belated spinoff can’t match the original either, and instead sits alongside other perfectly-enjoyable-but-no-masterpiece recent heist films like Focus and Logan Lucky.

Ocean’s Eight’s key strength is its cast – and what a cast list it has.  Oscar winner Sandra Bullock carries the film as the estranged sister of George Clooney’s Danny Ocean, and although there are moments when she brings the patented Ocean charm to proceedings, you also get the impression that she has a slightly darker edge than her brother.  Oscar winner Cate Blanchett plays Debbie Ocean’s right-hand-gal Lou with her natural Australian accent, which adds an international feel to the team.  Oscar winner (notice a pattern yet?) Anne Hathaway plays spoilt movie star celebrity and the target of the heist, Daphne Kluger, getting a chance to show off her comedic skills once again.

“…there’s fun and enjoyment to be had just from watching the cast interact together…”

The rest of the cast is no less impressive – BAFTA award winning actress Helena Bonham Carter playing an eccentric washed-up fashion designer, while Golden Globe winner Sarah Paulson plays a bored suburban soccer mom lured back into the life of crime by Debbie Ocean.  At the other end of the spectrum, relative up-and-comers Mindy Kaling, Rihanna and Awkwafina round out the rest of the heist crew, playing the forger, the hacker and the pickpocket respectively.

With a cast list this good, there’s a certain level of fun and enjoyment that just comes from watching them interact together, and the team certainly has chemistry and charisma to spare.  Richard Armitage perhaps doesn’t have a lot to work with during his limited screen time as Debbie Ocean’s ex, but James Corden makes a surprisingly entertaining addition to the cast later on.

“…the heist itself doesn’t have quite the same levels of excitement and jeopardy…”

But despite the great cast, the film lacks the same “pizazz” that set Ocean’s Eleven apart from all the other recent heist movies.  Part of this might be to do with the plot itself, which doesn’t have quite the same levels of excitement and jeopardy as the Ocean’s Eleven heist.  For example, late in the film there’s a twist complication that threatens to jeopardise the whole plan … but a character simply makes a phone call to a previously unseen character, and just like that, the problem is solved.  It’s moments like that which take away from any real tension that the film might otherwise have generated.

That’s not to say that there aren’t some twists along the way – after all, you can’t have a heist movie without some twists.  In truth, most of these twists are effectively, although one twist late in the film did feel like it was so out of left field, I wondered whether it was inserted as a reshoot after test screenings?

“…a fun and frothy heist movie…”

Director Gary Ross might also need to take responsibility for some of the missing zest in Ocean’s Eight, as although he does a passable job of mimicking the flowing camera movements and inventive visual tricks that Steven Soderbergh brought to the original Ocean’s trilogy, his direction does feel like it’s missing something.

But all of these nit-picks are not to say that it’s a bad film by any stretch.  As a fun and frothy heist movie, Ocean’s Eight is an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours, and there’s not a lot to dislike about the film if you have any affection for the genre.  It’s just that, there’s probably not a lot to love about the film either, which does make it feel like a bit of a missed opportunity.  But the cast has great chemistry, and so if any future films can tighten up the plotting, there’s still potential for Debbie and her crew to give Danny a run for his money.