The script for Ocean’s Twelve had a bit of a circuitous route to get to where it ended up. George Nolfi had sold his script entitled “Honor Among Thieves” to Warner Bros., but instead of making his film, the studio executives decided that his script would make for a great foundation to Soderbergh’s successful remake of the classic Rat Pack film Ocean’s 11. Nolfi rewrote it many times to shape the script, and ended up having to modify it many times afterward due to cast schedules and the like. What finally got made created quite a lot of complaints as it didn’t feel like it stood at the same level as Ocean’s Eleven. But is it that bad? Or just different and not what people were expecting? Join us as we continue our coverage of the Ocean’s series with Steven Soderbergh’s 2004 film Ocean’s Twelve.
We talk about why the film works and why it doesn’t, notably in comparison with the first film. And we have quite differing opinions on this. We look at how the story is structured and ponder if it would be stronger if there was more of Catherine Zeta-Jones’ character earlier on in the story outside of the opening. We look at the complexities and convolutions of the plot and the heists, wondering if it was all really necessary to make a cohesive story or if it benefits from being so complex. And we marvel at the prowess with which Soderbergh films his stories as DP.
He’s a fantastic filmmaker who make a largely contentious film that still has a lot of good going for it (and is still a fun-to-watch Soderbergh film at the end of the day). So check it out then tune in to this week’s show! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins.
Film Sundries
- Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon • Netflix • YouTube
- Script Transcript
- Original theatrical trailer
- Original poster artwork
- Flickchart
- Letterboxd
