Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Produced by Jerry Weintraub
Written by George C. Johnson, Jack G. Russell, Harry Brown, Charles Lederer, Scott Corwon, Ted Griffin
Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy García, Julia Roberts, Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Elliott Gould, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner
Music by David Holmes
Cinematography Steven Soderbergh
Editing by Stephen Mirrione
Studio Village Roadshow Pictures, JW Productions
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date(s) United States & Canada December 7, 2001, Australia January 10, 2002, United Kingdom February 15, 2002
Running time 116 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $85,000,000
Gross revenue $450,728,529
Followed by Ocean’s Twelve

Ocean’s Eleven is a 2001 comedy-crime caper and remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper film of the same name. The 2001 film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and features an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García, and Julia Roberts. The film was a success at the box office and with critics. Soderbergh directed two sequels, Ocean’s Twelve in 2004 and Ocean’s Thirteen in 2007. George Clooney stated in November 2007 that there will not be any additional sequels.^[1]

Plot

Shortly after being released from East Jersey State Prison, Danny Ocean (George Clooney) breaks parole and travels to Los Angeles to meet up with his former partner in crime and close friend Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) to propose a scheme he has in mind. The two head to Las Vegas to pitch the plan to wealthy friend and former casino owner Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould). The plan consists of robbing the Bellagio, The Mirage, and the MGM Grand casinos. Tishkoff’s familiarity with casino security makes him very reluctant to get involved, but when he begins to think of it as a good way to get back at his rival, Terry Benedict (Andy García), who owns the three casinos, Tishkoff agrees to finance the operation. Because the casinos are required by the Nevada Gaming Commission to have enough cash on hand to cover all their patrons’ bets, the three predict that, on the upcoming night of a highly anticipated boxing match, the Bellagio vault will contain more than $150 million. Ocean and Ryan recruit eight former colleagues and criminal specialists, including Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon), a young and talented pick-pocket thief. Several of the team members carry out reconnaissance at the Bellagio to learn as much as possible about the security, the routines and behaviors of the casino staff, and the building itself. Others create a precise replica of the vault with which to practice maneuvering through its formidable security systems. During this planning phase, the team discovers that Ocean’s ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts), is Benedict’s girlfriend. Ryan urges Ocean to give up on the plan, believing Ocean incapable of sound judgement while Tess is involved, but Ocean refuses.

When the plan is put in motion, Ocean goes to the Bellagio in order to be seen by Benedict, who, as expected, has him locked in a storeroom to be beaten by a bouncer called Bruiser. Ocean, however, knows Bruiser, and he allows Ocean to leave through a ventilation shaft, to meet with his team in the vault. Linus Caldwell poses as a gaming commission agent, confronts Benedict on hiring Frank Catton as an ex-con, and in the process lifting the security code to the vault from Benedict. From there Caldwell and Catton staged a faux confrontation to allow Linus to slip away into the vault after the incident. Yen is smuggled into the vault by the Malloy brothers, to assist in triggering the explosive from the inside. Saul Bloom sneaks explosive into the casino vault by posing as an international arms dealer needing especially secure safekeeping for his valuables, and then stages a heart attack that was treated by Ryan posing as a doctor.

The team activates a stolen pinch device to temporarily disrupt the casino’s electrical power, allowing them to breach the vault undetected. As Benedict attempts to restore order following the power outage, Ryan anonymously calls him on a cell phone that Ocean had earlier planted in Tess’s coat. Ryan tells him that the vaults are being raided, and that all the money will be destroyed if Benedict does not cooperate in loading half the money into a van waiting outside. Benedict observes video footage of the vault that confirms Ryan’s claims, and complies in moving the money, but orders his men to follow the van after it departs, and calls a S.W.A.T. team to secure the vault. The S.W.A.T. team’s arrival results in a shootout which causes the incineration of the half of the money left in the vault. After assuring Benedict that the casino is secure, the officers depart.

Terry realizes that the vault video feed was faked when he notices that the floors shown in the video lacked Bellagio logos, which had only very recently been added to the floors in the vault. The men following the van discover that it is being driven remotely, and that, instead of money, it contains duffel bags full of flyers advertising prostitutes. A flashback reveals that Ocean had used the vault replica to create the fake video Benedict had seen; the rest of the team posed as S.W.A.T. officers, and took all of the money in the vault when responding to Benedict’s call for police assistance. Benedict then returns to the room where he left Ocean and finds him still there, leaving him with no way to connect Ocean to the theft. Ocean offers to assist Benedict in finding the money on the condition that he give up Tess, to which Benedict agrees. It is then revealed that his team had routed live footage of this conversation to Tess’s suite. Angry at being used by Benedict, she leaves him and returns to Ocean. Benedict tips off the police, who arrest Ocean for violating parole, and Ocean spends some months in prison. When he is released, he is met by Ryan and Tess, and the three drive off, closely followed by Benedict’s bodyguards.

Cast

Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, Julia Roberts, and Steven Soderbergh in December 2001

Ocean’s Eleven

In order of recruitment:

George Clooney as Danny Ocean – “The Idea Man” (Conman)
Bernie Mac as Frank Catton – “The Inside Man” (Card Dealer)
Brad Pitt as Rusty Ryan – “The Detail Man” (Ace Card-Sharp)
Elliott Gould as Reuben Tishkoff – “The Bankroll” (Casino Mogul)
Casey Affleck as Virgil Malloy – “The Getaway” (Frontman)
Scott Caan as Turk Malloy – “The Getaway” (Frontman)
Eddie Jemison as Livingston Dell – “The Eye In The Sky” (Surveillance man)
Don Cheadle as Basher Tarr – “The Basher” (Explosives Expert)
Shaobo Qin as “The Amazing” Yen – “The Grease Man” (Chinese Acrobat)
Carl Reiner as Saul Bloom – “The High Roller” (Retired Thief)
Matt Damon as Linus Caldwell – “The Rookie” (Pickpocket)

Others

Andy García as Terry Benedict – “The Target” (Casino Magnate)
Julia Roberts as Tess Ocean – “The Wild Card” (Museum Curator)

Cameos

Five television actors make cameos as themselves, being taught how to play poker by Rusty:
* Holly Marie Combs
* Topher Grace
* Joshua Jackson
* Barry Watson
* Shane West
Steven Soderbergh as one of the bank robbers with Basher
Siegfried and Roy as themselves
Wayne Newton as himself
Henry Silva and Angie Dickinson as themselves (both appeared in the original)
Vitali Klitschko as himself
Lennox Lewis as himself
Jerry Weintraub as a high-roller gamblera[›]

Cons described

In the beginning of the film, when they begin to work on the plan for the casino heist, Rusty (Pitt) says to Danny (Clooney),

This list of cons was created by director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Ted Griffin to describe the type of people and cons needed to knock over the three casinos.^[2]

References

Links

• Official website
• Ocean’s Eleven at Allmovie
• Ocean’s Eleven at the Internet Movie Database
• Ocean’s Eleven at Rotten Tomatoes

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

Directed by: Robert Altman
Produced by: Joseph Walsh, Robert Altman
Written by: Joseph Walsh, Starring George Segal, Elliott Gould, Ann Prentiss, Gwen Welles
Music by: Phyllis Shotwell
Cinematography: Paul Lohmann
Editing by: O. Nicholas Brown, Lou Lombardo
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release date: August 7, 1974
Running time: 108 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English

California Split is a 1974 film directed by Robert Altman and starring Elliott Gould and George Segal as a pair of gamblers. It was the first non-Cinerama movie to use eight-track stereo sound.

Plot

The film is less concerned with plot than behavior as a friendship develops between Bill Denny (George Segal) and Charlie Waters (Elliott Gould) over their mutual love of gambling. Charlie is a wisecracking joker and experienced gambler constantly looking for the next score. Initially, Bill isn’t as committed a gambler (he works at a magazine during the day) but he’s well on his way.

As the film progresses and the two men hang out more, Bill starts to become more addicted to the gambling lifestyle. He goes into debt to his bookie, Sparkie (Joseph Walsh). Eventually, Bill hocks some of his possessions to fund a trip to Reno, where Bill and Charlie pool their money to stake Bill in a poker game (where one of the players is former world champion “Amarillo Slim”, portraying himself). Bill wins $18,000, but doesn’t quit; he is convinced he is on a hot streak. He plays blackjack, then roulette and finally craps, winning more and more money, eventually cashing out $82,000.

But something happens at the craps table. When he finally stops, he is drained, almost apathetic. After they split their winnings, he tells Charlie he’s quitting and going home. Charlie doesn’t understand it, but sees that his friend means what he says, and they go their separate ways.

Cast

George Segal as Bill Denny
Elliott Gould as Charlie Waters
Ann Prentiss as Barbara Miller
Gwen Welles as Susan Peters
Edward Walsh as Lew
Joseph Walsh as Sparkie
Bert Remsen as Helen Brown
Jeff Goldblum as Lloyd Harris

Trivia

• In the bar scene where Charlie and Bill first share a drink, Charlie overhears a conversation during which a man wonders if the Knicks will win the NBA finals. Charlie butts in and says the Celtics are going all the way. Charlie’s prediction comes true, the Celtics were the NBA champions in 1974. Since the movie was filmed in early 1974 and the finals weren’t until June, Charlie really does pick the winner ahead of time.
• The original ending actually spilled outside the casino. Bill leaves Charlie and hails a cab when Charlie suddenly comes out and decides to go with him so as to prove that he can walk away from gambling. However, a couple of people climb out of the waiting cab and ask Charlie how the action is, and he is drawn right back in and thus Bill leaves alone.

The DVD

The film was released on DVD in 2004, but music rights problems forced Sony/Columbia to exclude almost three minutes of footage and make several soundtrack changes. The DVD is already out of print, leading to speculation that a re-release is imminent with the missing footage restored.

Links

• California Split at the Internet Movie Database
• California Split at Allmovie
• California Split at Rotten Tomatoes

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.