Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Ocean's Twelve'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

The funny thing about revenge, is that it can quickly become cyclical in nature. Someone wrongs you, you take vengeance upon them, they can't deal with your retaliation and the next thing you know...they exact their own revenge upon you and the cycle just goes on and on, and unfortunately sometimes other people get dragged into the mess as well as the escalation of revenge continues along.

But, when all is said and done, it's not a matter of who can 'one up' and break their enemy, it's more important to figure out how to avoid revenge in the first place. The obvious answer to that...is to turn the other cheek and move on so conflict never arises, but if one does find themselves in the middle of a Vendetta War, how does one end or escape it? Well that's a question that was explored in detail in the fascinating sequel to Ocean's Eleven...Ocean's Twelve.

Danny Ocean and his merry band of thieves are enjoying the good life. They're rich beyond their wildest dreams thanks to the heist they pulled on Terry Benedict's casinos and have simply moved on. But unfortunately for Danny, someone has leaked information about the robbery and Terry has gotten wind of it, and now that he knows who was responsible for robbing him blind, he confronts Danny and demands his money back plus interest or else the entire gang will face dire consequences. This revelation sends the group to Europe for what should be a quick and easy heist to get Terry what he needs, but there's competition waiting for them across the pond, which means that Ocean's Eleven will need to enlist a little bit of help in order to outwit one of the world's finest thieves, so they can settle up with Terry and save their hides.

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Truth be told, the first time I saw this film, I really didn't like it, simply because of the fact it was such a vast departure from the original. Its tone is far darker than Eleven's and come on, lives are on the line here. But Twelve is a film that grows on you, because once you get past the dreariness, you're treated to quite the complex masterpiece, one that introduces us to a world we never knew existed and it also provides us with perhaps the most complex con I've ever seen when it comes to heist movies. 

Now, the world we knew nothing about, is where Danny has spent most of his professional life, where thievery is a solid career choice, and in this world other thieves network on a regular basis, and they respect one another and their specific targets. At least that is until the whole mess with Terry Benedict comes into play, since it leads to a breach of protocol pitting one thief against another all in the name of machismo and bravado since The Night Fox (Baron François Toulour) cannot stand the thought of being second best since Danny's heist is so well respected in the thief community and his attack on the Ocean gang is what brings us to the complex con in this story, one that surpasses the original film's heist and one that requires your full attention because it is a true 'blink and you'll miss it' moment. I'll say nothing more about that con, because...that would be a blog post in and of itself and quite frankly, it's best experienced on film. But when all is said and done, the attention to detail in this film and the building of this 'World of Thieves' is downright fascinating and it's a shame that the story didn't explore it further.

However, despite the fact that I eventually came to appreciate this motion picture, my chief complaint about it remains the same...the reveal of the Twelfth member of the Ocean gang is just downright silly. I say that, because this particular moment in the film, albeit chuckle worthy, is just too meta and over the top for its own good. I'm all for a good joke and surprising your audience but that...well it completely detracts from the strong and gritty elements I made mention of a moment ago. But, it's a weird enough moment that it's forgettable and it doesn't ruin an otherwise intelligent heist film, one that challenged its predecessor and really, one has to appreciate the real payoff when it comes to the decision to delve into darker territory for this sequel; the fact that this harrowing adventure brought this team closer together because that would prove to be extremely important when it comes to the big surprise that awaits them in the next film...

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