Both versions of Ocean’s 11 came at a cultural moment’s high water mark, each of them an encapsulating snapshot of an optimistic aesthetic on its way out. Steven Sodebergh’s hit theaters December of 2001, and is one of the last blockbusters reflecting a confident, happy (pre-9/11, if you must) America. Its fun, joyous excess has none of the dark, brooding sentiment so visible, or so visibly hidden, in the big movies of the last seven or eight years. In the original Ocean’s 11, released in 1960, tough guys still wore suits and sang accompanied by xylophones, derided emotional depth and cracked wise at even their lowest moments. And both films have an undercurrent of melancholy and nostalgia that gives them a historical poignancy often lacking in Hollywood fare.
Lewis Milestone’s Ocean’s 11 was the Rat Pack’s biggest hit, and it cemented Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford and Sammy Davis Jr. as mega stars. Danny Ocean (Frank Sinatra) calls on ten of his army buddies, who served with him as paratroopers in Germany, to knock off five casinos in Vegas on New Year’s Eve. The film follows them being recruited, planning the heist, pulling it off, and then trying to get away with the money.
Though structurally similar to the remake, the plot, characterization, and denouement are very different. Unfortunately, Milestone’s Ocean’s 11 lacks the energy and excitement of Sodebergh’s, let alone the other classic heist films of the period (ie: The Pink Panther, Bob le Flambeur, Rafifi). In short, it’s kinda boring.
Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin do well in their respective roles, and Angie Dickinson absolutely steals the show in her brief scenes as Ocean’s alienated wife (more of her would’ve definitely improved this film). Sinatra can tell a joke, but he plays Danny too aloof to show why these guys all trust him on the biggest score in history, and he often just comes off as an asshole. The scenes are repetitive, as we watch the gang pull the same trick five times, once at each casino, and the script swings from lively zingers (“Why waste those cute little tricks the Army taught us just because it’s sort of peaceful now?”) to big clichéd eye rollers (“You could never love a woman as much as you love danger”.)
But the biggest problem is that the heist never seems difficult, and the energy never rises above a light simmer. It doesn’t feel like there’s much at stake, or that there’s any chance of failure. And the film also reflects why we’re better off with this sort of machismo in our past. It has some very racist, misogynistic moments: Martin’s character makes a joke about repealing the 14th and 20th amendments so women could be made slaves, and an Asian butler character is reminiscent of Mickey Rooney’s Mr. Yunioshi, the Japanese neighbor who mars Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
That said, the film still has its charms. It’s fun to see all these guys on the screen together. We get to watch Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin sing, and we get a number from Frank Sinatra over the closing credits. Within five years, Sinatra’s ties to the mob would be revealed, the Beatles would cross the Atlantic, and America would enter war with North Vietnam. It’s the last gasp of a certain brand of American exceptionalism, and its fun to watch the Rat Pack play it out caper style.
Best of all, it has a powerful and effective twist ending which pulls the carpet out from under the audience. If the rest of the film were as surprising and heartfelt as the ending, this would be a true classic. As it is, it’s a moderately entertaining cultural milestone that will appeal more to fans of the Rat Pack than fans of excellent cinema.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
There’s commentary from Frank Sinatra Jr. and Angie Dickinson, which, though informative, is very dry and boring. There are theatrical trailers, and a fun but brief clip from Jonny Carson’s tonight show, where Sinatra, guest hosting, talks to Dickinson about the film. Then there are short “documentaries” about the five casinos they robbed in the film, and another about the Casino Legends Hall of Fame, which taken together are more a cheap crappy ad for Vegas than anything else.
"Ocean's 11" is on sale November 9, 2010 and is not rated. Comedy, Crime. Directed by Lewis Milestone. Written by Harry Brown, Charles Lederer. Starring Angie Dickinson, Cesar Romero, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr.
