Vegas hasn’t been the same with Danny Ocean (George Clooney) in town. He has broken the bank on more than one occasion. Casino owners hate him. His ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts) hates him. But he’s looking for a change. He just got out of prison and he’s got a score to settle. And what would Wednesday Warriors be without a true risk taker such as Danny Ocean hitting the scene?
Danny has a plan. As extraordinary a plan as it seems, he wants to rob a casino. His friends Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) and Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) think he’s crazy. And it might just be the craziest idea he has had in a long time. Why not? The casino’s there, why not rob it?
Maybe his friends are right. Maybe robbing one casino is a crazy idea. Maybe instead of robbing one casino, he’s shooting too low. How about robbing three casinos all at the same time? His friends couldn’t call him crazy anymore, that’s for sure. After all, a stunt like that would make him insane.
In the planning phases, and as his team grows, the fact comes out that his ex-wife married Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) the owner of the casinos. What better way to taste vengeance than to take from the very man who is the supposed provider for the former love of his life?
Danny also has a knack for remaining calm in a frantic situation. When he thinks his gang has reached the limit as to what they can do, he simply asks Rusty if they need another guy. When Rusty doesn’t respond, he takes the silence as a yes. To make sure, he asks again. Again, when Rusty doesn’t respond, Danny goes and hires one more guy.
All told, eleven make Danny’s gang. Each member has a gift. Each one has a specialty all his own that no one else can replace. This is what makes Danny Ocean’s gang unique.
As part of the heist, he commissions them to find a way to get to the money locked in an impenetrable vault, buried deep in the ground with laser triggers at every turn. If Danny is to get to that money, he will need more than an elite team a thieves. Danny will need his suave charm, his exceptional intelligence and plain ol’ good luck working on his side.
Okay, so he’s been in prison—but it has yet to stop him from committing one of the biggest heists Vegas has seen. He wants that guaranteed payout and revenge against his ex-wife for her decision to remarry, even if he won’t admit doing it because of that.
Aside from Danny Ocean’s charm and wit, he loves the thrill of the chase. Nothing can compare with watching a plan come together. He lives for this kind of stuff.
Mild mannered, level-headed Danny Ocean. He’s got an ace up his sleeve.
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Have you seen any of the Ocean movies? What did you like the most about them?
Looking to God 
I love Ocean’s Eleven… I love stories like that that take some thought and figuring… and Danny Ocean is just one slick man… though it wouldn’t be the same without Rusty… however Ocean’s Twelve was a snooze… didn’t really like it at all… but Ocean’s Thirteen got back to what made the first one so much fun to watch… another really clever plot and great acting…
One of the greats, and what a screenplay, right? Clooney at his finest (and I mean finest)!
I like his banter with Brad Pitt. Like normal conversation.
Yes, and I love how Brad Pitt’s character was always munching on something. That was a great distraction for the audience!
I love the Ocean movies. I hadn’t seen much of Clooney before that. I instantly fell in love with him once i watched the first movie. The movies have such witty dialogues and a the way they are shot is very different. It’s a great experience when such an ensemble cast comes together in such a way.
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Love the movies. Well, 1 and 3. Still not really sure about 2. My favorite part is how the characters work together. Great ensemble cast. That might be why #2 was iffy. They weren’t as together as in the others.
I second that. They kind of rushed the second one. The amsterdam story was forced and not effortless like the other two films.
Rushed is a great word for it. A little forced too.
Agreed, Charles. O11 was awesome, O13 was also incredible. O12 felt different. There was something offbeat about it.
The feel was different. Maybe it was less of an even ensemble movie and more of a Clooney/Pitt focus?
I really haven’t followed the Danny Ocean movies. Maybe if Tarantino had worked on producing / directing one. I can imagine Samuel L. Jackson in one. ” We happy, Vincent ? “.”Yeah. We happy “. 🙂
Great post, he’s such a slick character.
Thanks. I love the character’s motivation for robbing the casinos. A classic character.
Completely agree with everything you said there.