In Ocean Thirteen is a fight between 2 sides: the impregnable Willy Bank against a gang of professional criminals led by Danny Ocean. First, Bank screws with a friend of Danny's gang, Reuben, by cheating a contract between them; this leads to a heart attack for Reuben, and his friends (Danny et al) revenges, utterly screws Bank for good. Such is the plot. Simple, eh? Good, honorable guys destroy bad, dishonorable, and egoistical guy. Oh so typical?
The thing most impressive about Ocean Thirteen is its subtlety, in everything. It is really funny, but at no point do you see any kind of stupid face, out right jokes (except a few good natured ones shared between friends). Jokes are some details that just force the laughter out of you (young guy: She is a "cougar". Hm, good job finding out), or very funny plot development (Mexican workers, stand up for yourself! Yeah, from the middle of nowhere, a rebellion comes) or some little gestures (Guy A: you ready? Guy B: I am born ready! Guy A: rolling eyes). In fact, there are almost no swearing (well, there are a little bit. Remember, we have a bunch of friends working together), all things are kept under tight control. Yet, it is so funny, so laughable, so memorable.
Furthermore, the confrontations in Ocean Thirteen surpass those of any recent movie. You see, we are talking about a fight with billions of dollars at risk from both sides, with success and reputation of one man and survival of another. The operations range from collecting intelligence, gathering allies, raising funds, sneaking spies, buying illegal info to bombing, earthquake, perfecting defense. Everything. Well, no shooting, but we have bombing, so that's close enough. The playground extends from Las Vegas to Mexico. In other words, a large, expensive, exhausting fight. However, at all confrontations, the characters are always graceful, elegant, and at ease. There is no flashing of muscle, no swearing, no threatening (except in the very very end, when Bank has already been defeated, and there is nothing else he can do other than throwing empty threats). To be sure, muscles are required; swearing are around; threats are prevalent. However, those are things you keep in your team: outward, the team always seems so sure, so winning, so graceful. Such is height of art of confrontation. As the Chinese says: serious without anger, closeness without flirting. Everything with style.
Talking about closeness, in Ocean Thirteen, there is no hot scene of kissing and pressing each other into bed, except pressing your opponent into bed. Well, maybe because there are not enough women around. Similarly, there are no screamings, crying, or any extreme emotional showdowns. All actions, all displays, all faces, all moods are under tight control, at all time. However, this is not to say that there is no friendship, no love, no closeness. On the contrary: one can feel the worries of Danny and gang toward Reuben (any mentioning of Reuben's suffering immediately convinces any member of the gang to do anything), their mutual friendships, or Bank's pride toward his successes and his hotel, or his desperate at the end. The emotions are there, and expertly portrayed. However, in the fight, everyone keeps the head clean, stable, focus. You can't win a fight by shouting, crying, or those immature actions! You win it by calculating, planning, preparing, an executing.
Lastly, Ocean Thirteen also refuses the normal kind of winning. In movie these days, the phrase that "this is the only chance" is overly abundant. Seriously. Like, "gotta save the planet, this is the only chance" or "gotta help that guy, this is the only chance" or that kind of thing. Of course, there is only one person (usually a guy, but occasionally a girl) who can do it, and that person has exactly one chance to do it. Why? Because there is precisely no planning, only plain reacting to the opponents. Of course, since the guy must win, the opponents are always stupid and weak and exposed. Not in Ocean Thirteen. Bank is impregnable. He shows no weakness, only perfection. For important event, he works tirelessly on preparation, has test-run, and ensures everything is perfect, to the last details that he can manage. Similarly, Danny does not rely on one chance. He and his gang plan ahead. They cover all bases, have multiple plans, with exit strategy. They also go as deep as possible to avoid Bank's scrutiny, take advantage of their allies, and play on weaknesses of Bank and his associate. Such is how you win a fight. As some great people say, wars are not won in battle, but in planning rooms. Stupid attitude of "there is only one chance" can do nothing but look helpless and wait for luck.
Watching a mastery movie about mastery is refreshing. Why can't we have more movie like this? Why do people must keep churning out shit like Salt, Casino Royale (frankly, I am so sick of that movie that I did not bother with Quantum of Solar), and the likes? I mean, they are about spies, for goodness' sake. Yet, the whole movies are about "one chance" and flashing of muscles. Or guns. Oh, and stupidity and stubbornness. Like in Salt. The only one with ability to think in the beginning of the movie is the Russian spy head, who is fucking stupid. If he understands human nature enough to work on a grand plan, why can't he realize that keeping the husband alive is much more useful and secure, and killing that husband is prompting that stupid girl to rebel? Oh, and the woman is like "I will kill everyone in my way, which happens to be wandering aimlessly around." Plus, why did she leave the Russian president alive? She did not know if her husband was alive yet. If he had been, would that not had meant his death? All and all, the whole movie consists of brainless people exploding shit off, all for no particular reasons. Oh, plus, if you want "America" (The US, that is. Why, America also consists of Mexico and Venezuela, guys) die slowly and painfully, don't make a coup! Make it seems like they do it intentionally. For example, put Palin in White House. I ensure you, the US will die slowly and painfully. Or producing more Salt, as we are doing right now.
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