Paroled from a New Jersey prison after being caught trying to move stolen Incan matrimonial head masks, professional master criminal Danny Ocean is asked by the parole board what hell do on the outside, and doesnt reply. Why? Because Las Vegas casino mogul Terry Benedict is sleeping with his ex-wife, and hes going to do something about it. Right from the very beginning, Ocean sets out his stall. The terms of his parole require him to stay in New Jersey, but upon getting out he immediately criss-crosses the United States to recruit his crew. The film isnt twenty minutes old, and hes shattered his parole into a million pieces before he even sets foot in Las Vegas, where the score is. And what a score. Terry Benedict is a dangerous, dangerous man, but Ocean intends to take down all three of his casinos in a single night, robbing their single shared vault on the night of a massive boxing match to net an ice cool $150 million oh, and get his wife back from Benedict while hes at it. Danny Ocean is the smoothest guy George Clooney has ever played, and thats saying something. His unflappable, affable demeanour masks a ferociously disciplined, creative planner and leader. Hes incredibly well connected, able to locate the right person for the right job seconds after deciding what the right job actually is. When Willy Bank details the bad men he knows wholl make Danny pay for stealing from him, Oceans unfazed: they like him better than they do Willy. Ocean likes to try and live by three rules: dont hurt anyone, dont steal from those who dont have it coming, and play the game like you have nothing to lose. Unusually for a magnificent bast*rd, Ocean doesnt prize ruthlessness above all else, hence the first rule. The second of the rules is obviously the most flexible of all: Benedict has it coming because hes with Tess, and because Danny thinks he can afford it, not necessarily because hes a bad man; Willy Bank, on the other hand, is robbed because hes crossed the line and because Danny doesnt like him. The third rule is quintessential magnificent bast*rd. Oh, and he manipulates events so that he gets the girl at the end, because of course he does.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
