Ocean's Twelve vs Out Of Sight

Ocean's Twelve is not a necessary sequel, in terms of story, but it is absolutely essential in terms of star power. We need to see Movie Stars sometimes, all dressed up and well-lit and cracking wise. We need them on location in beautiful cities. Ocean's Twelve knows we need this, and it delivers. The end. Seriously. That's all you need to know. You're in the store, and hey, there's Clooney and Zeta-Jones and Matt Damon. There's Julia Roberts and Don Cheadle. You could do a lot worse.

The Eleven from the first movie are planning another heist; actually, a few. Last time they stole from Andy Garcia (his money and his wife), and he wants payback (just the money). So, Danny Ocean and his crew have to steal it, because obviously no one just took their cut of the last haul and put it in a shoebox or maybe one of those frames you see in diners, where it's all “Our first nineteen million.”

Everybody's funny, the cons and tricks are clever, the locations are beautiful. There's nothing innovative or truly memorable (except one inspired joke that Julia Roberts would likely not perform for any director besides Steven Soderbergh.) It's a couple hours, tops, and then it's done. It's like reading a really good magazine, or anything else time-wasting that feels worthwhile at the time, like flossing or filling out questionnaires via email. Pointless, yes, but well done.

On the other hand, there's a star-packed Steven Soderbergh caper that I think is absolutely essential in every sense: Out of Sight.

Of the post-Pulp Fiction crime movies, I think Out of Sight is the best. It's one of the few movies of its kind (before or after Pulp Fiction) to just slow down and think once in a while. Out of Sight has smart, calm, lingering conversations, punctuated by Soderbergh freezing the action into still frames, with time advancing behind them. Out of Sight is framed and lit like a romance, with golden light inside and snow falling outside. And it's funny, and suspenseful, and it stars Jennifer Lopez. Yes. Jennifer Lopez. What happened? Was it an agent? A manager? A boyfriend? Who steered that boat away from the cool course it was on? I'm here to tell you, because I can tell you're unsure, that Jennifer Lopez is absolutely smoking hot in Out of Sight, and her character, Karen Sisco, is a fast-talking bad-ass. If V.I. Warshawski were Karen Sisco, I'd own a copy. Sisco is an FBI agent, the kind that only exists in movies, meaning she's played by Jennifer Lopez. Sisco's hot on the trail of Jack and Buddy, escaped convicts who take her hostage during their prison break and then let her go, after Sisco has had time to bond with Jack in the trunk of a car. Jack and Buddy are played by George Clooney and Ving Rhames, and they're both beyond cool, but of course only one of them is sharing the trunk with Karen Sisco, and I think we all know who that's gonna be.

And then, even though it's a manhunt, Karen and Jack can't stop thinking of each other. They meet for a night in a hotel, but mostly are just one step in front of or behind the other, as Jack plans his next heist, a hit on a huge mansion owned by the hilarious Albert Brooks.

It's just too good. Out of Sight is a movie I would watch in combination with most anything. It's sturdy enough for drama, light enough for comedy, perfect for any mood. Don Cheadle is the villain. Steve Zahn drives the getaway. Catherine Keener does magic tricks. Michael Keaton. Dennis Farina. Everybody gets a moment, and they take their time, enjoying the words and the situations. Out of Sight is told nonlinearly, and as each corner of the storyline folds back on itself, the characters are revealed as deeper, funnier, more interesting. Clooney's Jack isn't just a con-man, he's desperate and sad. It's a great movie. Come on, what do I have to do, beg? You want movie stars, it's got your movie stars. You want funny, it brings the funny.  And the exciting and the smart. At the time, Out of Sight seemed so mainstream and flashy for Steven Soderbergh, who is usually drawn to quiet, unusual films. Out of Sight is deceptive, because it can be quiet and unusual too, which is a nice surprise. But don't worry. He's got pretty faces too, and he keeps them front and center as much as possible.

Ocean's Twelve: C+
Out of Sight: A